


Breathe To Live

by ShadowStrabi



Category: RWBY
Genre: Additional tags to be added later if needed, Apocalypse AU Remnant, Character age has been bumped up, Chemical Engineer Weiss, Computer Tactician Blake, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks within a flashback, Hopefully it's angsty enough, M/M, Mechanical Engineer Yang, Neo is still a cute mute, Raven is a good mom, Slow Burn, There are no maiden powers, Warning: Suicidal thoughts near the end, Yang has heterochromia iridum and short hair, Zombie Grimm, mentions of past relationships - Freeform, most likely a happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-04-21 15:57:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14288385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowStrabi/pseuds/ShadowStrabi
Summary: Vale has become a desolated wasteland occupied by Grimm zombies, creatures that used to be either animals or past humans affected by the remnants of biochemical warfare. Once glorious and gallant, the CCT Tower at Beacon is now derelict and serves as Salem's fortress. Yang Xiao Long, a mechanical engineer with a knack for adventure, is now humanity's only hope. Finding the courage to leave the confines of a purification center, she seeks out a small revolutionary group called The Four Knights alongside an unlikely partner. Will they be able to restore the CCT Tower to its former glory or will they perish at the hands of blood-thirsty Grimm zombies and their Queen?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.  
> What I do own is the story.

  **Prologue**

* * *

 

_Inside Schnee Dust HQ...._

“Excuse me, Miss Schnee! Miss Belladonna is here to see you, shall I send her up?”

“Right away if you would, please. Thank you so much, Velvet.”

“It's my pleasure~ She'll be on her way!” The voice chirped and the pale finger released the button of the pager, ending off communication. A graceful smile slowly made itself known as the head of the company swiveled around in her luxurious chair, her light-blue eyes gazing out over the waking city of Vale. It was, after all, 7 o'clock in the morning when the rays of the sun barely breached the horizon. The CCT tower, standing gallantly just a block away from her business building, continued to emit a brilliant gold aura into the air from its spire tip.

After her father, Jacques Schnee, perished during the biological warfare against Salem – no amount of money could ever buy him the protection he needed. Hell, he even threw his own son Whitley to the wolves when push came to shove – Weiss Schnee took it upon herself to continue the business he started on the honor of her family name. However, unlike her father's stingy and bigotry attitude, she hired humans and faunus alike, giving equal opportunity to those who were willing to put forth their best effort. Some groups of faunus were skeptical about the change of hand in the company, even distrusting the young woman's motives. But through perseverance and dedication to an important cause of coming together, Weiss began to gain some more welcoming praise from the community; she spoke at assemblies and presented her work as a biochemist to pave way to more prominent solutions of preserving good quality air. As an added bonus, her connection with Blake Belladonna, program hacker turned computer tactician from Menagerie, gave her an edge in persuading those who still had lingering doubts.

“Come in.” Weiss spoke up once she heard a soft knock, looking over her shoulder as an older woman in her early 40s strode in with gray-colored coat tails streamed out from behind. Her luscious dark hair tumbled down to the middle of her back while her golden eyes still held their youthful shine. Two feline ears expressively twitched in greeting, indicating her status as a faunus which she showcases without shame. In the eyes of Weiss, her beloved friend didn't seem to have aged at all; she carried herself much like how she did when she was younger: commanding, prideful, confident, unapologetic. “Blake.”

“Weiss.” The one known as Blake responded, strolling towards the middle of the room after shutting the door quietly behind her. Rising from her chair, the shorter of the two maneuvered around her desk and gathered her friend into a warm embrace. Blake smiled and returned the gesture, nuzzling her left cheek against the head of silky white hair. She even blessed Weiss with the sound of purring, a rare noise the faunus reserved for those she loved unconditionally. “It's been a long time.”

“I'll say, our lives have been extremely busy after all. Still, it's so nice to be able to meet like this.” Weiss spoke, her voice almost muffled when she leaned against Blake's shoulder. Out of all her friends, Weiss was the shortest, but she didn't let that stop her from accomplishing amazing things. She went on to produce enough Dust to be distributed to all the purification facilities located around Remnant, improving the quality of air and increasing the amount of purified patients. “To be honest, I thought you wouldn't be back in Vale so soon. After all, you're overseeing the production of another tower being constructed in Menagerie and on top of that, you've been teaching at the academy there."

“I can afford a few breaks every now and then. Ilia's offered to be a teaching substitute while Sun's overseeing the construction site on my behalf. Besides, I've been meaning to make this trip and see my old friend.” was the response. Pulling away, Weiss guided her to the couch and poured a cup of tea for her guest. Having known Blake over the years, the Schnee came to realize that her special guest preferred tea over coffee; it was quite a change since the Schnee family had a certain fondness for coffee and would serve it as a default beverage. She did try to persuade the faunus to try some, but was shot down immediately every single time.

“You're still wearing that orange scarf around your neck.” The heiress remarked as she took a seat opposite of the faunus, her hands wrapping around the porcelain cup to feel the radiating heat. The comment was not out of spite, there was a brief look of sadness that crossed her eyes. The object held a deep meaning not many people would understand or ever will, it is ultimately Blake's personal treasure. “The color really compliments you.”

“Thanks. And you're still holding onto the red cloak.” The faunus glanced at the red object wrapped around Weiss' torso, serving as a sash rather than its original purpose. The two of them shared a knowing laugh, one that could be akin to an inside joke. Blake then took a minute to appreciate the angling of the window and the beautiful sunrise. She took immediate notice of the blending of lavender lilac into fiery red before it was finally a vibrant yellow, illuminating the blue skies above. _The mix of color reminds me of her eyes, the yellow color reminds me of her hair, and the warmth embodies her bright personality._

“How long has it been, Blake?” Weiss' voice drew her back into the present and the faunus blinks her eyes. The heiress noticed the mesmerizing look her friend would sometimes lose herself in, thus giving her a few moments to get lost in her thoughts. "How long has it been since that day?"

“Today marks the 25th anniversary, yet I swear I can still remember everything as if it were yesterday.” Blake set her cup down to cool a bit and folded her hands neatly over her lap, her ears slightly tilted back against her head. She rarely talked about the past to anybody, only confiding in Weiss her deepest feelings since they understood each other on a level unseen by others. “The sights, the smells, the sounds...everything is still so crisp and clear. I somehow get our realities mixed up, thinking the shadows dancing along the walls are familiar shadows.”

“I know how you feel because I have the exact same problem.” Weiss turned to look at a picture propped up on her desk. It depicted two girls with bright smiles on their faces and mock war paints on their faces. Setting her drink down and standing up, she crossed the room before coming to a halt before her desk; her right arm slowly lifted from her side and extend to the picture. The heiress gently traced a finger down the cheek of the other, her eyes shining with what Blake categorized as 'adoration' or perhaps 'love'. “Some days I feel as though she's sitting here alongside me, her arms around my shoulders and letting me know she loves me by presence alone. Other days she's nagging me in that dumb cute way she always knew would get to my heart. She'd say, 'Weiss! Look at this!' or 'There's this amazing weapon show in Vale I'm just dying to take you with! Please tell me you'll go!' ...and I can't even find it within myself to be mad.”

“Was that picture taken before the war?” asked Blake, still impressed with her friend's acute ability to imitate voices. Even though Weiss couldn't sing the way she did when she was younger, the heiress still made it a point to exercise her vocal cord daily. Not only that, but Weiss had also taken her share of inhaling high doses of impure air; the thickness of its toxicity nearly suffocated her and damaged her throat.

“Yeah...this was from our very first date. You should've seen how ecstatic Ruby was when I told her I got first member tickets with VIP passes on the side to that weapon show she really wanted to attend; it was as if she drank ten cups of coffee filled with unnatural amounts of cream and sugar. She was incredibly hyper, and I allowed myself to be dragged everywhere against my will.” Weiss sighed forlornly, setting the picture down and lifted her gaze up to the ceiling in wonder. “To think I'd actually miss my dolt....miss her so much that it physically hurts. Now I will never be able to hear her voice...never be able to scold her for her silly antics. Heh, she always told me to not worry..."

_She's so distraught...this is probably her first time taking a step back from work and remember some of her happier times with Ruby._ Blake silently took a sip of her drink since it had cooled down, one ear twitching as the exquisite sensation of flavors bombarded her taste buds. Weiss made sure the chefs brewed the tea just right, something the faunus deeply appreciated whenever she visited. _Not to mention, this is my first time hearing about her love life. I knew Yang told me about her sister loving the heiress of some big corporation, and left it at that. Besides, Weiss tends to overwork herself just to stay busy...and keep her mind occupied.  
_

“Blake...” Weiss turned around, waiting for the golden eyes to stare intently at her and only her. “Yang...didn't have time to tell me how Ruby died...or how she first met you. All she did was hand me back Ruby's cloak, ordered you to protect me, and took off to keep Salem occupied. Somehow I knew deep down within me that she was gone while I was injured within the CCT tower. I believe Winter once told me that if two people really really love each other, their bond will transcend beyond all expectations set by society. So...I was wondering if Ruby's death was ever talked about whenever you were with her."

“Weiss, are you sure you want to hear that?” Blake set her cup down gently, a little hesitation in her movement which made the bottom hit the plat with a sharp _'clink'_. She wouldn't mind recapping at a request if it came from a friend she knew very well, but she seriously took into account the mental and emotional stress it would have on both of them. It took the faunus more than ten years to move forward, to make changes while the burden of the past lingered in the back of her mind. "Here and now?"

“Please, Blake...please,” The Schnee walked over and sat beside her, one shaky hand reaching for her friend's and held on tight. Her tears welled up behind the eyes, flowing out and down across the cheeks. For so long, Weiss had done nothing but strive for a better world so that others could thrive in, to help Remnant heal from the scars of battle. Deep down, on top of all the responsibilities she herself decided to take ownership of, she never healed from the loss of her partner. “I...I need that sense of closure....I just want to know what happened. Being trapped with nowhere to go, Death literally lurking right above my head...I was cut off from everyone and everything, with no means of escape. So...it'd mean a lot to me..."

Blake gazes into the pleading eyes of her friend before leaning over and grabbing a nearby tissue box off the shelf. Pulling out a piece – taking note of the velvety texture rubbing between her thumb and index fingers – she began to wipe away the tears. Laughing softly at the action, Weiss mumbled a thank you before taking over and wiped her face on her own. It shocked her a bit since she was able to cry out in the open without being judged or waiting for someone's approval; she hasn't cried like this since she was a little child. Had Jacques been alive, he would make sure she wasn't able to show such ugly emotions; to him, crying was a sign of weakness.

“Very well then, give me a few minutes...there's just so much to cover. Yang recounted her whole journey to me when we were alone together, so I'll start with her beginning. Fair warning in advance...I...wasn't in a good state of mind when we first met, so it took me awhile to get used to the presence of another person. Once I was comfortable enough, we began to share small things with each other before they turned into more personal information.” The faunus closed her eyes and took deep, calculative breaths to mentally prepare herself. When she reopened her eyes, she had that misty faraway expression on her face and began to tell Weiss everything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang Xiao Long, a mechanic from Beacon Academy, prepares to leave a facility center in Vacuo as she starts her journey to reclaim control on the CCT Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. What I do own is the story.

**Chapter 1: Her name is Yang Xiao Long**

* * *

  _Purification Facility..._

Her eyes opened slowly, blinking away the remnants of a dream she vaguely remembered. Staring up at the monotonous white-washed tiles of the ceiling, she mentally counts to ten before peeling back the blanket to get her day started. A chiseled torso and equally toned arms gave off a sense of strength and confidence; her slender legs sleek with beauty were also a sight to behold. Breasts, confined behind a black sports bra, accentuated her feminine charm, but she knew that they shouldn't define who she was. She had enough awareness to know that she would be objectified by some, and utilized her outright confidence to not let those unwanted thoughts to detour her from getting her job done.

Stretching her limbs out above her head and shuffling to the restroom, she turns the knob and dips her hand underneath the running liquid; cupping her hands she begins splashing water on her face, enjoying the cool feel against her skin. Wiping the remaining liquid away with a nearby towel, she took the time to look at herself in the mirror. The wild, short blonde hair was screaming at her almost as if taunting her to try and tame it. Her eyes – the one on the right being red while the one on the left was lilac – captivated her attention more so than her abs, they were just that fascinating.

At first she hated her eyes as a child, almost wishing she didn't have mismatch eyes and instead having normal eyes. But her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, once said that her eyes were very special and explained his reasoning in a way that made her appreciate their uniqueness a little bit more. Her red eye serves as a constant reminder of her mother Raven Branwen, along with some bouts of stubbornness and temper tantrums the child sometimes exert when she was distressed or unhappy. Her lilac eye reminded her of the love Taiyang and Raven had between each other, even when the latter wasn't around most of the time during her child's development.

Taiyang told his daughter that Raven never meant any harm when she didn't come home frequently, and whenever she did make an appearance, the blond made sure his little girl got as much time as she could before her mother had to go back to work. Raven loved her daughter and gave her her full attention when she was at home. She would play, read stories, and at one point tuck her in bed at night followed by a kiss on the forehead. The child never once feared her mother, not even when a particular mask covered the beautiful face.

However, a breaking point came when Raven could no longer come home anymore due to some changes. Desperate for the company of another, as well as having a motherly figure for the child, Taiyang went off on his own and fell in love with another woman. Summer Rose, an event coordinator and a graduate from Beacon Academy of the same class, slowly fell in love with Taiyang, and she bore no ill-will to the child of another relationship when they met. When Raven - came back home unannounced eagerly to see her family - found out that that Taiyang was having an affair with her, not to mention with her previous roommate, she couldn't even bring herself to be angry. She merely decided to leave permanently and not come back, not breathing a word to her ex-husband and child.

Oh the little bundle of energy was upset when her mother no longer showed, waiting by the door every day anxiously awaiting for the tall mysterious woman to walk through. She was partially okay when Summer came in, mostly because she got an unhealthy dose of chocolate chip cookies, but it just wasn't the same effect. Where Summer was warm and kind by default, Raven was completely the opposite...and yet, she was still willing to show a soft caring side for family. That was the Raven the little girl wish to play with again.

“You need to let her go, my little dragon.” Taiyang would say solemnly when he sees her continuing her watch, a thin line for a mouth on his face. He seemed to have pushed Raven to the back of his mind, focusing more on his current relationship. “She's not coming home anymore.”

“...why not, Daddy?” was the soft reply. When she turned to look at him, he flinched only slightly when he stared into the eyes filled with tears, in particular the right one. “Why doesn't Mommy come back?”

“She...can't come back, sweetie.”

“Why not? Isn't this her home, too? Doesn't she view us as family?”

“Of course we were family to her..it's just...it was Daddy's fault, okay?” He kneels down, scooping her in his arms. Nuzzling his cheek against hers he says, “The amount of time she's spent with you, she'll most likely cherish them. She loved you, my sunny dragon, don't you forget that.”

 _Then Summer gave birth to Ruby who became to be my best friend and greatest half sister...As I grew older, I never understood why my mom couldn't just talk things out; instead she chose to abandon everything she had built up with Dad. The last thing she ever gave me was this purple pendent...it was supposed to be a gift for Dad, but she changed her mind..._ The now grown woman lightly fingered the object hanging around her neck, gazing into the stone wedged in the middle with golden laces around it. She found it sitting in a box hidden in the drawer one day with a note laying right beside it. The words scribbled in fine penmanship read: **For my baby girl, sorry I couldn't be here in person to see you.  
**

“Yang?” A soft rapping of knuckles against the metal door caught the blonde's attention, followed by a small voice spoke from outside that snapped her out of her reminiscence. “Are you up?”

“Y...Yeah. I'm up.” came the hoarse reply, her voice still affected by sleep. She released the pendent, allowing it to fall back in place hanging from her neck. “Just need to...need to pack my essentials. I'll be right out afterward.”

“Take all the time you need, don't feel like you have to rush for my sake.” The voice replies sweetly, almost in understanding of the situation. If there wasn't any plans made prior, Yang would have surely fallen back asleep to the sound; soothing and gentle like a lullaby being sung to an infant. “I'll wait for you outside.”

Taking a deep breath, Yang exhaled at a deliberately slow pace before stepping out of the bathroom. Grabbing her knapsack that laid near the small cabinet, she begins to fill it with her belongings. Toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, a mechanic’s toolbox, extra pieces of clothing, and two bottles of water. She wanted to bring more than what was needed, but deep down she knew she could probably scavenge for things along the way. Tossing on a mid-length black muscle shirt which left a bit of her stomach exposed, she pulled up a similar colored jumpsuit pants, hooking a belt around her waist. Strapping on a pair of boots, she didn't forget to zip up a jacket, the words Beacon Mechanic etched on the back. Looking over, she spotted her favorite orange bandana lying on the bed and tied it around her neck for comfort and warmth.

About half-way into her packing, her hands came to a pause over a particular artifact, her eyes widening briefly as she stares at it in silence. How long has it been since she had stashed it away, taking extra care not to get it dirty? Forcing her fingers to pinch the soft fabric, she held up the familiar red cape. During her years at Beacon Academy, Yang had taken the time to travel to Atlas and studied mechanic engineering for at least one and a half semester. Taiyang had been an architecture back in the day, and was extremely proud of his daughter's accomplishments. He even went so far as to travel from Signal Academy straight to Atlas, just to see one of his daughter's contraption being showcased to the public audience. Who would have imagined a girl from Patch managed to get her creation on display for the highly social class of Atlas? Ruby as well, had always supported her and was the loudest supporter no matter how well or how bad her sister does.

Being Yang's younger half-sister by three years, Ruby was just as a mechanic junkie as her older sibling but decided to pour her insane ideas out on paper. Anyone could ask her how to make a weapon more effective, how to lessen the output of carbon dioxide from various transportation, or even what contraption would be successful in baking a dozen cookies in less than an hour. That girl would rattle on and on about everything down to the littlest detail, even getting her hands dirty drawing out the concept idea on a piece of paper.

There was one nickname the other students gave her, Speed Demon, that stuck with Ruby as she progressed throughout her teenage years and up to her adolescent years. Her mind and fast hands were a deadly combo, her room littered with designs and art that could only be pulled out of a fairy tail. Yang did her best in making some of Ruby's ideas true, an artificial cannon that can shoot high pressurized air just by pouring hydrogen down the pipe sat proudly in the back yard. The kids nearly blew their own house to smithereens as a result, one of the more memorable moments from their childhood.

“Not all heroes wear capes...right, Sis?” Yang murmurs as she gaze at the red object lovingly, feeling the fabric between her fingers. She leans down to place a kiss on the surface, folding the object neatly and tucking it inside her bag with extra care. Slinging the bag over her shoulders, she gave the small room one last check, making sure she didn't forget anything behind. “I won't fail you...or anyone else. You'll see...please watch over me until the end.”

“There you are, Yang!” Velvet Scarlatina chirped with excitement, her bunny ears perked up as the mechanic opened the door and stepped out of the room. The faunus wore a buttoned up shirt covered by the standardized white cloak of a researcher with a similarly colored skirt for bottoms. Her long brown hair was tied up into a messy bun so strands weren't in front of her eyes. A bracelet could be seen around her left wrist, a thoughtful gift from her partner Coco Adel who was a fellow research assistant. “Glad to see you up and moving around at your own pace. I'm sure Coco would be thrilled to hear about your progress!”

“Yeah...sorry for making you worry and fuss all over me for the past few years, Velvet.” Yang apologizes, watching as the door closed behind her with a click. She was going to miss her home away from home, despite the dire circumstances. Turning her attention back to the faunus, she added, “Wish I did a much better job in contributing to everyone here, instead of moping around like a...a dead-weight.”

“It's okay Yang, I'm not bothered at all so don't be so harsh on yourself. In fact, I actually learned a lot from you during your stay. When Coco and I first met you at the doorstep, you were scared and most likely traumatized by something I may never experience for myself.” Velvet then proceeded to guide her friend through the large corridors, undisturbed by the large presence of humans and other faunus who occupied the facility. “To be honest, I'd probably be even more secluded and refuse to interact with anybody. The idea of Grimm becoming the living-dead, not to mention that humans and faunus are also susceptible to the transmittable disease, would sound farfetched; something pulled out of a child's fairy tale book.”

“Honestly, I had never seen such creatures. I was scared shit-less.” Yang replies, falling into step with her friend. “Normally I could tackle the normal Grimm, but with these new creations we have had no training against something with much more skills. According to my uncle, the unorthodox fighting styles puzzled even the elites and they were always pressured to be on their toes.”

“Shoot, how exciting it must be to fight on the front lines.” Velvet whistles, clearly impressed and dipping her head to an unheard beat. “Of course, I have high respect for those who put their lives on the line. But knowing you, you have that charm and charisma about you that, well, gives me the same kind of respect.”

“Please, I'm nothing like that those real heroes.” Yang chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand. “I'm just doing my job, just doing what I believe is right.”

“Oh Yang, there's no need to be so modest! You should be a little more honest with yourself.” Velvet giggles, bumping her hip against her friend in a playful manner. “Seriously, you are so cute when you act like this.”

“I-I'm honest with myself!” Yang all but spluttered, her cheeks heating up and she glanced the other way. "I'm not joking!"

“Okay okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop teasing you.” Velvet then tapped her clipboard nonchalantly against her back, before asking, “Do you know the story behind why the world is the way it is?”

“I only know a few things but not the beginning of it.” The blonde says honestly, shaking her head back and forth at the question. She had taken a history course to broaden her knowledge in another direction, something different from the tough courses mechanics must march through. “I know that there's many versions of the same story, so it's hard to figure out what was the truth and what was the lie.”

“Well then, would you like to hear what I learned from my professor? We do have some ways before we reach our destination.”

“Sure, I'd love to. Your voice always was soothing to listen to according to Coco.” Yang said, watching the faunus turn red in the ears. Shaking off the blush, Velvet took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

“Long ago, the war was brought up between two beings known as Ozpin and Salem, the latter seemingly creating the worst strain of disease known to mankind. Legends says that the ancestors of those two had been fighting against one another for over centuries, basically reincarnations fighting against one another. Wanting to bring it to an end once and for all, Salem uses her intellectual capacity to alter the make-up DNA of various creatures. First was the small mammals, then came the Grimm. Once she figured out how to harness and strengthen her creations, she began to fabricate the role of God and messed with humans and faunus.”

“News of ailment soon reaches Ozpin when he realizes the dwindling population – not to mention the strange appearances of barbaric creatures and an escalation of either killing or confrontation between different species– and he confronts Salem immediately, ordering to cease her experimentation and playing with life. He believes that everything in life has a small soul within them that needed to be nurtured and cared for. Salem obviously disagrees, stating that because of her meddling with Nature, she has helped in weeding out those who weren't strong enough to survive the harsh reality. In order to preserve control and thinking about the consequences, Ozpin banished Salem and ordered for her to be locked away far from society.”

“That was the final push. Salem, locked away and out of sight, slaved away with more experiments until she was fully content with her progress. She had created a strain that slowly ate away a creature's interior functions, leaving the host in a zombie-like state. The Grimm provided a great foundation and she soon created an army of the undead. But that wasn't enough, oh no, it wasn't enough. She forged the same strain and injected it within her own body. She became the embodiment of evil reincarnated, proving that humans were capable of handling huge stress on their bodies. However, there were consequences and she slowly became derange and out of control.”

“Before she lost every shred of her humanity, she found out that the strain within her body has multiplied by the billions. Struck by an idea, she quickly recreated the devilish strain by taking out samples from her own blood stream, and instead of having it in its liquid form she made it so that it could be transmittable by air. All she needed now was a machine that could send it into the atmosphere in large quantities.”

“So she set her sights on the CCT Tower, one of the more prominent structures that Ozpin had been proud to expose to the public eye. In fact, most of the funding gone into the production came straight from the Schnee family.” Yang takes up the mantle of the story, watching Velvet nod her head in agreement. “Taking charge of her undead army, she laid a massive invasion on Beacon. Ozpin's army were not ready and took heavy damage, but they soon fought back just as ferociously. Salem managed to grapple control of the tower out of Ozpin's hands and unleashed her terror, filling the sky with thousands upon thousands of unseen evil.”

“When the first wave of fighters succumbed to the illness, they turned on their fellow comrades and gruesomely tore out flesh and organs. Ozpin had no choice but to send out an emergency signal through a private line as the streets ran red with blood. Unfortunately not everyone made it out alive, some died on the spot, some seemingly turning into the very evil they were forced to fight against.” Velvet scratched the back of one ear in thought. “Soon, Ozpin's army had been reduced to a very small size and he himself was slaughtered immediately at the hands of Salem. Without the commander, those who survived or were on the verge of surviving just scattered like dust.”

“Because of the quick thinking on Ozpin's part, the other kingdoms increased their security protocols and did all they could to take in survivors as they fled from their home. However, that turned into a mess since some of them were either bitten or infected that didn't take form until it was too late. So, now no one can ever leave and no one can come in without a lengthy process of being disinfected from the contaminated air.”

“Now that no one seems to be roaming around Vale – besides what we already assume to be crawling around – we wouldn't have to worry about anyone getting hurt. By the way if you ask me, I'm glad Ozpin got the Schnees to hire a group of competent architects like my father to assist in the modeling of the tower...you know, before Salem took it over.” Yang commented, folding both hands behind her head. “Although that did mean that he was away from home a lot and only came back sporadically throughout the months. But by then, I kinda had Ruby with me so I wasn't as lonely as I used to be.”

“Have you been able to contact Weiss by any chance?” asks Velvet out of curiosity, tilting her head to the side in that cute way Coco loves to gossip about whenever she got the chance to. “From what I know, you first met her when she came down to Beacon from Atlas to enroll in some kind of chemist program.”

“Oh, you mean Ice Queen? Nah, I haven't seen or heard from her since the whole zombie invasion. I do hope she's okay, not many people from Vale made it out alive or in one piece as we already talked about. Last I heard of her...she was preparing to work for a fraction of her father's company. Other than that, I have no clue.” Yang drums her fingers against her chin in thought, trying to jog her mind of any other memories she might have forgotten, “She always was that kind of person who strives for something beyond perfection, perhaps it runs in a Schnee's blood.”

“It's good to have people like that as your friend, though. Frequently giving you a sense of urgency and good working habits, not to mention a sense of pride in your work.”

“...And a whole slew of stress and pressure all compressed into one tiny body.” Yang all but rolled her eyes, letting out a loud sigh, “I can't even begin to tell you how aggravating it is to hear her nag my sister for the tiniest of things; Weiss Schnee is such a little perfectionist.”

“If she were here, she'd probably take that as a compliment.” Velvet giggled, hiding her mouth behind a raised hand.

“Nonetheless, with the way we are now...we have to live with the lingering effects of the war.” The mechanic once again sighs with brief annoyance. Deep down, she actually admires the Schnee for her rigorous discipline and overly dramatic work habits, but she wasn't about to tell Velvet that. “The deterioration the morality is quite sickening and shocking. No one knows how to handle a situation quite like this one.”

“True, but that doesn't mean no one is trying their best to make do what they can.”

“Hmmm? Where does that door lead to?” Yang questions as she came to a halt, her focus was drawn to an off-limits sign plastered to the wall near a door colored differently from the rest of the doors within the hallway. “This facility does have a lower level doesn't it?”

“It does and frankly, that is one of the ways that's not okay for trespassers.” Velvet informs her, coming to a stop as well.

“Why's that?” The blonde asks.

“Because down there is – ”

“DID I SAY YOU CAN TOUCH ME THERE WITH YOUR FILTHY HANDS?!” A loud voice came from the depths, sending shivers up and down their spines. It is soon followed by a noise the blonde immediately labeled as 'inhuman' moaning. “DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU, MAGGOTS!! These puppies are for Ren ONLY!!”

“Is that Nora I hear? She's taking her job as the guard very seriously.” Yang mumbles while Velvet just laughs behind a hand. During her stay at the center, Yang has managed to befriend a couple of the staff members, one of which is the center's very own military guard Nora Valkyrie and the other was her soon-to-be fiance, Lie Ren who was the center's only forensic pathologist. Of course, if he ever needed a extra pair of hands, some of the other refugees were more than happy to help. 

“Well of course, being a guard is tough. Not only does one have to protect the structure, one also has to protect those from within.” Velvet told her, the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile. “I couldn't begin to tell you how many of our patients have...escaped for lack of a better term.”

“Nora, please don't say that so loudly....and I thought I told you to not antagonist my patients!” Another voice pleads, Ren's most likely and he seems to have already been desensitized by Nora's antics. “You smashed one so hard the other day that I couldn't even tell the head from the tail! How am I supposed to make progress in finding a cure if you keep killing them off?”

“Ren, those flea-infested mongrels are just BEGGING me to break their scrawny legs!!” was the reply, followed by a maniacal laughter. “If they even THINK of touching my Ren with their dirty fingers, I'll smash their heads into pancakes!!”

“That's it...we've been spending too much time in here. Let's get some fresh air for a change.”

“HA! There's no such thing!” There was a scuffling noise and a ginger-haired individual bursts through, a scowl prominent on her face. She wore a camouflage uniform with laced up black boots, a large hammer-like weapon gripped tightly by her side. If Yang looked closely enough, she could have sworn there were specks of blood. “Ever since that bitch Salem vomited her toxic gas, I haven't had a whiff of pure air in awhile. Ugh, still reeks of those undead bastards.”

“Nora, such language.” A male in scrubs followed afterward, squinted as the lights shined in his face. His black colored hair, one bang in particular was a tint of magenta, was tied up so it wouldn't fall in front of his eyes during his tasks. “Hmmm. Sometimes I forget just how bright it is out here...LEDs are so strenuous on the eyes.”

“Ren, Nora, hello there!” Velvet chirped, getting their attention.

“Well if it isn't our resident Bunny Analysis Researcher!! Making your rounds or what?” Nora grinned, her eyes sparkling as if thousands of electrical currents ran behind them. “Lately, you haven't been seen with Coco...you aren't having a fling with this one are you?” She gestured to Yang who immediately flushed at the implication.

“I-It's not like that!” Velvet said, her face much redder than her friend's. “B-Besides...Coco's stuck in Atlas so there's no way they'd allow unauthorized flights anywhere.”

“Mmmmhmm, well lucky her in that aspect. The facilities up in Atlas are much more upgraded than ours. I mean, hello, we're in a literal desert hell. Unfortunately, Atlas doesn't have such adequate guards such as yours truly; they're just a bunch of mechanical bots.” Nora states, before adding, “Unlike yours truly who doesn't need a system update every twenty minutes.”

“Nora's one of those people who would just pick a fight for amusement. She doesn't show fear in the face of danger, I've actually seen her swing Magnhild so hard the ground trembles.” Ren added, watching his partner laugh at something as if a thought tickled her bone. “I'm sure she could hold herself in a fight if needed, but I do try and get her to relax every now and then.”

“As a cooping mechanism due to the desensitization of killing?” asks Yang.

“You can say that. The human brain can only handle so much pain and stress; once the capacity has been breached, it's only a matter of time before the person delves into madness.”

“Then will you yourself be okay? You spend most of your time in there with the...umm...sick patients.” Yang turns to Ren who slightly lowers his upper body in a bow.

“I'll be alright, don't worry about it too hard now.” He told both females, gesturing to the mask hanging around his neck with a hand. “I wear this most of the time while I do my operations.”

“Honestly, most people hate it when something disgusting breathes within an inch from their face, mask or no mask.” Nora frowned, hoisting her weapon over her shoulders. “That's how germs and diseases are spread, Ren.”

“There are more ways than one for such things to be transmitted.” Ren replied, stuffing both hands into his coat pockets. “The more common form is pathogens traveling through the air, the second one is receiving a bite wound from an infected being. The third way I know is by injection, but that way is a little more difficult.”

“Just wrestle the damn things to the ground and stick the needle through their dead skin!” Nora held onto his arm and was about ready to pull him back. "In fact, I want to prove that method wrong!"

“Then, we'll leave you two to it.” Velvet chirped, wrapping her hand around Yang's forearm as a signal that they needed to hurry along. “There's one place I need to take Yang, and I'd hate to send her out in the dead of night.”

“God Speed to you, Yang.” Ren says before he was dragged back into the room by an overly enthusiastic Nora.

* * *

 

_Inside the garage....._

One portion of the center was reserved primarily for transportation and weapon refinery. Overtime, erosion to exposed rock and steel due to the impure weather made itself known, giving rise to malfunctions and headaches. A small group of polishers and part repairers were busy mulling around hauling merchandise and other necessities. During her time at the center Yang spent time studying, learning, and teaching a few slightly amateurish mechanics.

It was a brilliant plan on the blonde's part, seeing as there were so many damaged wares. Humans and faunus, from all corners of Remnant who traveled to Vale on vacation or pursuing a career, came together and looked after one another; they knew they didn't stand a chance going back outside without the necessary equipment and provisions.They also did their best in distributing rations so no one went to bed with empty stomachs.

“There's my baby, Bumblebee! The paint job looks so fresh and polish, it blinds me.” Yang says as she followed Velvet, smirking proudly at the motorbike parked adjacent to a few bullheads. The yellow color scheme glistened underneath the tungsten-halogen lighting, stripes of black going from the front to back to mimic that of a bumblebee. Slender silver pistons and cylinders attaching the wheels to the rest of the body are accompanied by an even powerful engine. Normally Yang wished for a transport whose design emphasized speed and aerodynamics, however she settled to increasing surface area so her bike could carry more items.

She walks over and drew a hand across the surface, eyes lingering on the burning heart insignia imprinted along the right side. When she finally finished her passion project by the time she was a teen, Taiyang gave her permission to get her driver's license. The blonde had never felt so excited and immediately studied to pass the test the first time around. Since then, she's been able to travel mass distances and exploring Remnant when school wasn't in session; sometimes she would take Ruby along with her for some sisterly bonding. “Looks as if I just built it yesterday.”

“You really do love your bike, huh.” Velvet glances at the other female, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

“You know it!! I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world!” Yang exclaims, turning to face the faunus as if she said something shocking. “I built this baby from scratch with my own bare hands, and nearly got an earful out of Qrow for going through his toolbox. But it was hella worth it in the end.”

“What's your plan now, Yang? Are you really thinking about going back out there?” Velvet asks, seeing the brief flicker of fire behind the eyes. When Yang displayed that kind of spirit, there was no way of snuffing it out, she would keep on burning bright like a star. “It's dangerous out there, I know you know that. We haven't seen any signs of life in awhile...not to mention, reports or information are slow to come by.”

“I know...but I'm going to do what my father never got to test out.” Yang vowed, resting a hand on the leather seat of her ride. “He wasn't a joker architect for nothing, lending a hand in the construction of the CCT Tower. Without anyone noticing, he implemented a slight change in the design – you could think of it as a safety protocol.”

“Huh? A protocol?” Velvet's ear twitches in interest.

“Yeah. I took a peek at Dad's journal once, and he seemed to have anticipated a war. So, for safety measure he installed a little program bug within the control panel. Basically, should the tower fall under someone else's control, all I need to do is give the program approval and the code will bypass all instructions and reboot.”

“Why does it have to be you though? Can't it be triggered by anybody else?”

“That's the trick, Dad had it programmed so that it will only turn on by either his approval or mine.” The blonde smiles and ruffles her own hair with a hand. “He may not seem like it, but he was actually one step ahead of his associates; Perhaps most of the credit goes to Qrow since he seemed to be the one who knew everything.”

“And where are your Dad and Qrow?”

“...they're no longer here.” Yang replied and the tone of her voice was enough to let Velvet know she didn't want to explain any further.

“I...I took the liberty to store some food preserves in one of the compartments, it should help you on your journey north.” Velvet decides to direct the conversation elsewhere and gestures to the bike. Yang walks over, and props the cover up to see the vast amount o f goodies staring back at her. “There are also four to five M9 cylinders filled with purified air, these can be filled up again at any convenience store or stations; I've also placed a few pieces of Dust that you can use to make some material. I have no doubt that you would probably see some refill stations along the way, but I'm not too sure if their conditions would be any helpful. The Grimms have been known to swarm businesses and smaller shops, breaking down glass and destroying anything in sight. I wouldn't be surprised if you find them in...crap conditions.”

“Well, with Nora here I wouldn't have to worry about swarming happening here. Besides, Ren can also hold his own should the prisoners break out of their cells.”

“Just so you know, watch how much of the dried meat you consume as well. We didn't receive much of those since transportation has been either limited or stopped all together. If you leave food out for too long, it'll most likely rot and become inedible; not only that, but the zombies would be attracted like flies to trash.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” says Yang and she closed the lid, hearing it click and indicated that it was firmly shut. “You don't mind giving me all the goods? What about this facility? Will there be enough food for everyone?”

“We'll last for awhile, there's still good hunting grounds if we need to go out.” Velvet assures her. “My concern is you. The deeper you go, the more scarce food will become. Water and any other liquid would fall under the same condition as well, so drink responsibility.”

“Yes, Velvet.” Yang said, purely relieved that she had such a knowledgeable person standing before her. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

“Arf! Arf!”

“Zwei! There you are!” The mechanic smiled broadly as the corgi pushed opened the door with his snout and rushed up to greet her, his little stump of a tail ferociously wiggling back and forth. He got his reward of an ear rub and placed his paws on his owner's legs, tongue lolling out. “Rubes would have been so proud of you and I...if she were still here.”

“Woof?” He tilted his head to the side, waving his paws cutely.

“Sorry, boy, but I can't take you with me. It's too dangerous.” Yang apologizes, gazing into the adorable eyes that were shining back at her. Sometimes she wonders how she could have been blessed with such a precious animal. “I wish I could....I really do. If Ruby were here and knew I took you outside, she would kick my ass without batting an eye lash.”

“Woof!”

“Yeah, I knew you'd understand me! You're the best boy!!” She hoisted him up in the air and twirled around, the corgi all but panted heavily and wiggled his tail with happiness. After rubbing her nose against his, she putting the corgi down and told him to stay.

“Please, keep him safe.”

“Yang...” The faunus said, feeling extremely sorry for the dog who just wanted to accompany his master. He whimpered and attempted to take a paw step forward, but Yang merely looked at him with a stern gaze. Ears lowered in submission, he scuttles back and sat by Velvet's feet.

“Please, Velvet.” The mechanic says without waver, keeping herself poised and focused on her objective. Deep down she was screaming up a storm, wishing to stay by Zwei's side, and not think about anything else. “I won't be able to handle it if another family member falls to the disease. I've already lost so much...I refuse to lose anything else.”

“Yang, you aren't the only one who has been affected by the war. I just wanted you to know that.”

“....I know.” The mechanic pulled the faunus into a fierce hug, a hug between good friends. “But the expansion is forever growing. Last I know, the air leaking out from Vale has swept down south due to prevailing winds. It won't be long before it comes to Vacuo, and by then...perhaps the entirely of Remnant will be covered in a toxic blanket.”

“Just...be careful out there okay?” The faunus pulled away and placed a hand on Yang's forearm. The blonde glances at the gesture before looking at her friend's face. She made sure to etch Velvet's expression into her brain, as a reminder that there were still living beings still trying to get by in the hell they were currently stumbling through. Removing her hand, she added, “I worry about you...a lot. And I worry that you'll be out there alone with no one to watch your back.”

“I won't be alone, I got Ruby with me.” The blonde gestures to her bag safely strapped to her back, knowing that Velvet already knew about the cape. “I also got Qrow, and...” She slowly touched the necklace around her neck with a hand, moving a finger over the smooth stone. “I have Dad. All that is left is to find my mom, and I know she's out there.”

“You're absolutely certain that she is?”

“Dad doesn't lie, neither does Qrow. I trust them both, and they wanted me to find her.” Yang swung a leg over the seat and ignited the engine. Bumblebee trembled underneath her before easing out, its engine slowly turning into a muffled purr. Due to rigorous experimentation, Ren reported that the zombies all react to either scent or sound; he explained that his patients were more sensitive to sound more than scent, which prompted the mechanic to modify her bike.

“You're gonna need this....” The faunus held out a mask that seemed to be worn over both the nose and mouth, the straps coming around the head and snaps shut in the back. “Just hook the wires to the cylinder and keep them tight, don't want any of the air to leak out.”

“I got a large ring of tape that would do the trick, don't worry about it!” Yang said, slipping on a helmet before putting on the mask, a medium-sized cylinder already hooked up and ready to deliver fresh air to her lungs. She clipped it to the side of her belt buckle, making sure it wouldn't be knocked off during the drive. “Alright, I believe I'm ready to head out.”

“Hang on, Yang.”

“Hmmm?” The blonde turned her head, only to feel something soft pressed against her forehead. Eyes widened, it took a while for her mind to catch up to her and she realized that Velvet planted a kiss on her forehead. She hadn't receive that kind of affection since Raven left.

“Be safe.” Velvet steps back, kneeling down to pick Zwei up into her arms. The corgi watches with sadness, knowing that Yang was leaving and he didn't know how long she would be gone or if he'd ever see her again. Putting on a brave face, he let out a small bark and that put a soft smile on Yang's face.

“...yeah, I will.” with that, Yang revs up the engine and speeds away.

“She'll come back.” Velvet whispers, either to reassure herself or to comfort Zwei, or perhaps both as they watch the lone mechanic disappear behind a cloud of dust.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short-haired Yang is inspired by Dishwasher's design.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang seeks refuge after her travels, only to be haunted by her dreams, and waking up to the sound of her worst nightmares.

**Chapter 2: An Undead Party**

_On the road..._

Bumblebee's engine continued to hum as a background noise, much like a mosquito hovering by the ear. The road, dusty and empty, stretched for miles as Yang set her sights straight. The facility was far behind her and she hasn't stumbled across a live human since she left. It was totally expected, the harsh elements of the lethal toxic environment was brutal enough to send the most hardened creatures to shelter. Those that did not find protection in time ultimately fell to their demise.

The mechanic kept the mask on as a precaution, the small but steady stream of oxygen flowing through the tube provided by the canister attached to her belt. Because resources were a bit scarce, she knew she had to utilize everything she had to the maximum capacity and at the appropriate times; Wasting resources is not an option for her.

“Hmmm...” Bringing Bumblebee to a halt and letting the engine purr underneath her, Yang reached into her coat pocket and took out a small device the size of her scroll. To anyone it may look like a piece of junk, but to the mechanic it was an air-quality meter. She created a prototype back when she was a student at Signal, and upgraded it when she traveled to Atlas. The green light flashed across the screen, indicating that the toxicity hasn't reached her yet. When the light turns yellow, it meant that the air shouldn't be inhaled in large amounts. When it turns red, that is when the mask stays permanently on the face.

Shutting off the valve and removing the mask, the blonde took in only a small amount of air to sample; the mask now hang limply around her neck. Once she determined it was okay, she took in a couple of large gulps, her lungs expanding and contracting from within her chest. “Mmmmm! I should take advantage of being able to do this sort of thing. Once I cross into Vale...”

Shaking her head, she stuffs the device back into her pocket and took a quick glance up at the sky. It was as pastel gray as she could remember, although deep down she vaguely remembered it to be crystalline blue. The last time she saw a clear blue sky was when she was a very young child. Smiling to herself she took out a map and unfolded it across the seat, a pencil in hand. It became a habit of hers, bringing either a map of a particular place or stay pieces of paper, and doodle notes all over the material. At times she would sketch out ideas for potential future projects, or recreate an old project.

Once she finishes marking her currently location and mapping out a sustainable route, she piles everything into her bike, revs the engine once and continues her journey. The desolate landscape never popped out to her, in fact she didn't give it much thought. She knew better than to hope that there would be someone like her, an actual living being still roaming across barren land. It was just her and her possessions; no one else could be seen for miles. Yang did spy some run-down buildings and perhaps rotten corpses along the road, but her gut feeling continues to drive her forward.

Any sense of time seems lost to her, and it wasn't until her eyes spotted a looming structure coming up over the horizon that she realizes just how tired and fatigue she was from traveling. A desolate sign greeted her as she pulled up, the words scratched off and barely legible. Ignoring it, she approached the building itself and hopped off her bike, shutting off the engine. The structure was large enough to be a school, but not large enough to be a corporation. The windows were all shattered to pieces, leaving remnants of glass littered on the ground. 

Approaching the entrance – the doors were unhinged but still held on in defiance. Yang figured it would break easily if enough pressure was applied – she used a nail and scraped it in an upward movement along the rough surface. The off-colored paint of the wall easily gave way, falling to the ground as flakes. Carefully prying open the doors a little wider, she wedged herself in and pulled Bumblebee afterward. Her senses were on guard, eyes darting immediately at any and all signs of movement or noises. Leaning her trusty bike against one of the standing pillars, the mechanic went about collecting dry debris and making a small fire with a lighter tucked away in her tool box. With the source of warmth filling up the space and near an opening for the smoke to filter out through, Yang went about checking out her sleeping quarters for the evening with a critical eye.

“Hmmm, air quality seems to be okay and the structure will mostly hold out until morning. Oh thank gods, those were just the shadows dancing along the walls...” Yang let out a nervous chuckle after making a rigorous check of the vicinity, running a hand through her hair when she came back to her little campfire. Her heart had been beating wildly within her chest, loud enough to almost drowning her ear drums. “There's no one else here, only me... I think my mind's playing tricks.”

_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowwwwwwllllllll_

“Oh yeah, time for some food. How silly of me to forget something like that!” Walking towards Bumblebee, she opened up the compartment and rummaged around for some grub. The food preserves were nicely packed and in orderly fashion, a small touch of Velvet's that immediately captures the eye; the faunus was always a stickler for neatness and order, an advantage when dating Coco who was the slob of the relationship. There were even labels on the packages so the mechanic knew exactly what she was searching for. Eyeballing the provisions stuffed into the compartment, she figured she wouldn't have the luxury of eating a full-course meal; she would only eat enough to sustain herself until she comes across either a convenience store or facility.

Taking a bite out of what appears to be dried bear jerky, she went about going over her plans. The light source wasn't as bright so Yang had to be careful not to let her papers catch on fire when she leans close. Once she finishes her meal – some meat jerky along with dried fruit and nuts – and washing it down with water, she went to give Bumblebee some maintenance. She began with cleaning out the pipes and ended with checking on the fuel level. From there, she cleaned out and reorganized the compartment for her own benefit.

“Hmm? I didn't see this the first time around, I wonder what's in here...” Stashing the food away, she pulled out a leather pouch, and gently emptied the contents onto the ground. The reflection of the light from the fire lit up several multicolored stones, each the size of a chicken egg. Picking one up with her fingers, she says, “Oh, are these perhaps the Dust stones Velvet was telling me about? Last time I saw something like this was when Dad took me out on one of his jobs...”

Dust stones, material scavenged and mined from Mountain Glenn thanks to the labor of faunus, have been discovered by Weiss Schnee after she realized how to harness their strange power. Fire, water, even air, Weiss Schnee has managed to expose the elements down to their purest form. By the will of Jacques Schnee, he ordered the excavation of Mountain Glenn and had nearly stripped it of its resources. However, his oldest child Winter Schnee, informed him that it would be beneficial if he didn't take everything in one go. Thus, the billionaire opted to turn the mountain into a Dust farm.

In order to cultivate the goods, he hired as many unemployed faunus as he possibly could and gave them minimum wages. He was extremely happy with taking advantage of cheap labor, however his workers were not too fond of the conditions. Mountain Glenn is extremely dangerous, and most faunus soon found out that their lives were constantly put on the line; one wrong move could be devastating and every day brought unforeseen dangers. Those that were unhappy quit their jobs after a couple weeks, or rallied others to go on strike and demand better working conditions. Jacques, once he heard of the worker strikes, appealed to the Atlas military to come and rid the place of what he deemed to be “ruffians” and “vagabonds not willing to work for a living”. This sparked the largest fight between faunus and the Schnee family, so much so that blood was actually spilled and a riot ensued.

As a result once the news of riots reached the boss, Jacques ended up punishing the faunus that were working even harder, going so far as preventing them from going home to their families on some days; he also lessened the amount of breaks and absolutely forbid food from entering the premises, thus he ended up starving his workers to a certain degree. This ended up putting a giant rift in the relationship between the Schnees and the inhabitants of Menagerie, the homeland where the faunus lived. It became so bad that Jacques could no longer allowed to step a foot into Mountain Glenn without personal bodyguards. At one point the rumor of a sabotage on the company began floating around, so the billionaire immediately set up security protocols to the highest degree.

_And so, Weiss ended up getting a bad rep in the faunus community. I felt so bad for her...._ Yang shook her head, remembering looking at some headlines while she was in Atlas. The pristine heiress got heckled every single time she crossed path with a faunus, despite trying to justify that she is nothing like her father. However, because of her family name as well as the pain and suffering her father has put his workers through, her voice fell on deaf ears. So, in order to avoid the harshness, she spent her time in the labs either perfecting the perfect technique or finding something new. She was pushing herself to the limits in order to break away from her father's hold.

_Better not think about it too hard, the feud between the faunus and Weiss' family came to a screeching halt when Salem struck. I might as well take a rest...it'll still take awhile before I reach the boundary of Vale. Not to mention I haven't found a sustainable place since leaving the facility._ Stuffing the stones back into the leather pouch and putting it back into the compartment, the blonde let the fire simmer into embers before snuffing it out completely with some dirt. Settling down on her side she laid her head against her arm in a makeshift pillow, and allowed sleep to drag her away.

* * *

_Inside Yang's dream......_

She found herself standing in front of a small bungalow when she was seven years old, her home from her childhood. The marks on the wood have been crafted into the finest details, just goes to show how many times she spent looking at the structure of her house. With a wide-spread grin on her face, the young child ran up to the home and bolted through the door.

“Don't run around so much, you'll get hurt.”

“Momma!” Yang giggled, letting her body go limp as strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and lifted her up into the air with ease. The older woman in turn merely sighed and held her daughter close. "You caught me!" 

“Tch, cheekily little thing.” Raven huffed as the child continued to laugh, her small fist holding onto a few strands of black hair. “I'm being serious, you know. What if you get a severe injury?”

“Rae, come on. Just let her be herself, kids her age need to run around and play.” Taiyang leaned against the door frame, smiling at his family. His mopped blond hair was neatly groomed, and his scruff of a beard trimmed. “Besides, she's gotten a few scrapes and bruises and didn't cry.”

“Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't mean I'll allow her to continue growing up as a...” Raven paused as she tried to find the word she was looking for, eyebrows knitted together in thought. “...a ruffian. Honestly, what am I gonna do with this one? What if she dies?”

"I'm not gonna die!" Yang proclaims when she hears her parents arguing. "I'm gonna live till I'm ripe and wrinkly!"

"Oh really now?" Raven arched an eyebrow in response. "And how are you going to accomplish that?"

“Training hard and studying hard! One day I'm gonna be big and strong just like you, Momma! Just you wait and see, I'll even best you in a battle!!” Yang says without fear, her eyes glimmering with the fiery passion of a fighter's spirit. Taiyang laughed loudly as he watched his wife become slightly embarrassed, her skin blushing a rosy pink.

“Heh, that's quite a bold statement from such a small thing.” Raven says with a smirk, looking her daughter in the eyes. “Well then, when you become of age I'll take you up on your offer. Heard your dad has been training you while I was away, as well as my dead-beat brother, so...how about a sparring match?”

“You promise?” Yang asks with hopefulness. "When I'm old enough?" 

“I promise." The match never came to pass. Raven became too busy with her own work and ultimately walked out of the family when she realized Taiyang got together with another woman. The scene shifts and the girl found herself just a little older, standing before a dirt road with no one in sight...or so she thought.

“Yaaaaaang!!”

“Ru...Ruby?” Yang turns to see her kid sister running up to her, red cape flying out from behind. It was the same cape Summer wore except it was white. Her genuine smile, her child innocence, everything about Ruby was beautiful in Yang's eyes. Sometimes it was a little painful for Yang to look at Ruby because she reminded her of Summer, another motherly figure who disappears two years since Ruby's birth. "What are you doing here?" 

“I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been, silly?” Ruby asks as she stood before her, rocking back and forth on her feet with a cheerful smile on her face. “I asked Dad and he said he didn't have a clue where you went! So, I had to rely on my sisterly instinct and ended up meeting you here!”

“I've been...” _Why am I here? I feel like I recognize this place...this road. But why isn't it coming to me?_ “I've been...er...”

“Well, forget about that, I forgive you for running off! Wasn't there some place you wanted to show me?”

_Huh? A place?_   Yang must have had a confused expression on her face because Ruby mirrored one back to her. “What...are you talking about?”

“Isn't that why you're standing here? It must be because you haven't stopped talking about it!” She grabbed Yang's arm and started to walk. “Let's get going! You said it was some place super secret! Even Dad wasn't allowed in on the conversation when he asked!”

_Wait....what's going on? Why did I end up here? Why is Ruby here with me?_ _One moment I was with Mom...and then, she's gone..._ Yang allowed herself to be pulled along, the sound of both their feet pattering down the road. She didn't pay any attention to the scenery, all she paid attention to was Ruby. She realized that with each step they took, they were getting older; it was as if the road they were traveling on was a time line of their lives. When they finally arrived to where the dream wanted them to go, Ruby was just how she remembered the last time she saw her sister alive, a courage and beautiful twenty year old. Her shoulder-length hair tumbling down her neck and smelled like strawberries.

Yang, now at the age of twenty-three, realized that her once long hair had now been cropped short. Her once ragged uniform had been altered to the clothes she currently wore. Looking around, she couldn't see Bumblebee anywhere and assumed that she left it back at home, which didn't seem to be out of the ordinary. Her memories immediately came back like a speeding train, and her eyes widened when she recognized where the two of them were.

“Hmmmm, seems like a run-down shack.” Ruby says and she let go of Yang's hand. She didn't seem to be afraid in the slightest, only curious. “Is this the place you wanted to show me?”

“This is...Why am I remembering this now?”

“Hey Yang! Look! The door's ajar!” Yang watched as her sister stood beside the structure, and her stomach plummets with extreme worry. Something about the building screams danger and fear, but she couldn't even run away. “I wonder what's inside? I hear some kind of growling and noises from within...”

“Ruby no!!” Suddenly hit by a massive head ache, the mechanic was allowed to wheel back in pain. She stood there shaking, hands cradling her head as the throbbing subsided. Once she felt it ease off, did she dare open her eyes. The run-down house was no longer there, the road of which she stood on was gone. The only ones that were left was her and Ruby, who had her back to her. “Ru...Ruby...?”

“Yaa...aaa...” Slowly turning around, her sister's eyes were wide with horror and her left hand began to deteriorate, blood rolling and dripping to the ground. She reaches out shakily towards Yang, only for it to fall off with a sickening, wet plop from the elbow. The twenty-three year old felt like her breath was taking away, like someone sucker punched her in the stomach hard. “Yang....it hurts...it hurts Yang...”

“R...Ruby...”

“Hey...Sis?” A cold, dead voice coming out of her sister's mouth sent shivers down the blonde's spin, she couldn't hear Ruby's own voice anymore. Yang had been there, she knew exactly what she was looking at and she didn't want to admit it. Her once vibrant kid sister was nothing more than an infected corpse. “Why did you...take me to that ...run down house?”

“I-I...” Yang felt her throat close in on itself, unable to explain herself. “I didn't...I didn't know...I thought...”

“We were looking...looking for your mom that night, correct?” An eerie grin appeared before the mandible unhinged, leaving Ruby with a slacked jaw. Her voice though was still clear and crisp, easy to understood. “That's when...that's when they struck.”

“...they did.” Yang murmured, lowering her gaze with guilt. “We didn't know...I didn't know...a-and...”

“I got infected, bit by multiple zombie creatures that poured out from behind the door like a black tidal wave.” Ruby took a few sluggish steps forward, her skin continually pealing to the point where Yang couldn't help but stare at her sister's skeletal corpse. “All because...you were persistent in searching for Raven. Everything in your mind...was focused on your mother.”

“Ruby...I'm so sorry.” The mechanic apologized, her voice cracking from the emotions. “Had I known...at that time, I wouldn't have dragged you with me. I should've...I should've protected you. I should have!”

“It's okay Yang, don't beat yourself about it. I've supported you for as long as I remember...” For a brief moment, Yang swore she saw a twinkle behind the dead eyes. There was still a sliver of her sister left within the walking corpse. “That would never change...you're the best.”

“...but...but my unhealthy obsession with finding my mother...has led you to your death. So...it was my fault...I shouldn't be the best.” Yang paused when she felt something wet placed itself against her cheek. Her eyes met Ruby's lifeless ones as the younger of the two slowly pulled them together into a hug; if Yang wanted to describe lightly, it was like having a hug with Death.

“Yang...you have to forgive yourself. If you continue to carry this emotional baggage...”

“Please, allow me to carry it just a bit further....” Yang lifted up a hand and held onto her sister, not caring if she feverishly nuzzled against the exposed collarbone. “For the both of us...it's the least I could do...” Something cold touched her forehead, and she assumed it was the upper lip; it was another way for Ruby to show her affection. If it wasn't a bear hug, it would be a kiss to the temple, much like how Summer use to show her love. Raven on the other hand, gave kisses on rare occasions.

“I'm sorry I can't be by your side any longer.”

“Ruby?” Yang felt her sister slip out of her grip, a weapon of sorts materializing in the girl's remaining hand. The cold muzzle pressed against her temple, a bone-white index finger placed on the trigger. “No wait..please don't do it...”

_I love you, Yang._

A sound of a gun bounced off her ears and Yang took an agonizing breath. Opening both eyes the mechanic sat up abruptly, one hand held to her chest with tears rolling down her face. Ruby's death was so fresh that the blonde could never get it out of her mind, even when twelve years had already passed. Pulling her knees in close to her chest, Yang allowed herself to weep openly for the first time, digging her nails into the flesh of her own arms.

Once she felt like there was no more tears, she attempted to lay back down to catch some more sleep. However, her ears caught a noise she never thought she'd hear this far out, and all hopes of resting flew out the door. It sounded like a gurgle moan, followed by the small clicks and chatter of bone grinding against bone. It was definitely something inhuman.

Slowly getting back to her feet, she rummaged around the compartment of Bumblebee and pulled out a weapon, leaning it against the wall. Noticing that the light on her device began to glow yellow, she slipped the mask on and clasped the cylinder to her belt; the wiring safely tucked away underneath her clothes so it wouldn't obscure her arm movements. Making sure her belongings wouldn't be jeopardized during her absence, she slipped out with her weapon held tightly in hand.

* * *

_Outside the building...._

The mechanic slowly padded towards the entrance to see the very creatures from her nightmare loitering around the abandoned courtyard, the area illuminated briefly thanks to the moonlight. Shreds of flesh dangling from the jaws, exposed sinewy muscle along the face or arms, even bare bones for legs. Acidic drool dribbled from their gaping mouths, their eyes empty and no longer sported any spark of life. From where Yang was standing, she could see two more bodies crawling their way through a hole in the fence line that ran as a northern border, no doubt following the scent of their brethren.

_So that's how they came in...how clever. Are they perhaps scavengers? Or runners?_   The mechanic wonders to herself, watching and observing the creatures before making her move. That was one thing Qrow taught her as a hunter, always observe the prey and strike accordingly. _There's no way they could have stumbled across this place...it's too far out of their jurisdiction. Perhaps Salem ordered them to continue expanding her empire, that sounds like something she'd do._

“Kkkkkksssshhh...” One of the creatures gnashed its teeth together suddenly before eloping to another area, dragging its broken hind leg behind it. The others paid it no mind, staggering or standing in place. From what Yang could infer based on appearance and cry alone, the creature that voiced out could have been a Beowolf that did not get lucky in its hunt. “Kkksshssssh...”

_There's only a small group here, I wager around seven. I can finish them off before they can call for reinforcement!_   Building up her courage, the mechanic struck first. The creature didn't know what hit it until the blade sang through its body, cutting it in half. The two halves hit the ground with a sickening thud, alerting the others. Spilled blood was enough to make them go into a frenzy, like a bloody ocean infested with sharks. They swarmed towards the human as she stood in the middle of her mess, a glint in her eyes. 

“Hello, my distinguished guests.” Yang stated happily, shouldering her weapon with ease as the thundering of feet and the moans of the dead rushed upon her. The sliver of moonlight shone upon the blade, trickles of blood running across the surface. Flicking her wrist quickly, the residue splashed across the ground like rain. “Glad you could make it to your own funerals.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...Yang isn't equipped with Ember Celica, and the weapon she is using does not belong to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang fights against the small group of infected animals, utilizing a weapon that belonged to a family member.

**Chapter 3: Harbinger**

The air fills with wails of horror and the pounding of feet against the ground. Yang tightened her grip around the hilt of her weapon – her soul was quivering at the impending doom and an unknown ending – but nonetheless she felt ready; if she could not even hold her own against a small group, the she has absolutely no chance against Salem. The moment one skeletal hand extended close to her face, she responds by ducking low and allowing the blade to sing right through the shoulder blade. The creature howled with agony, stumbling back from the blow of losing an arm. Rattling its jaw in a series of clicks, it surged forward at breakneck speed; the hollowness of the sockets seemingly fixated on the blonde, giving her an uneasy feeling. Thinking quickly Yang pivoted on her left leg, lifting up her right leg and slammed the sole of her boot into the zombie's torso. Sounds of ribs cracking under pressure soon followed and the creature pitched forward, crashing to the ground in a thump.

“Stay down.” growled the mechanic, impaling her weapon straight through the head and twisted to the right. A slow hiss exited the mouth before the corpse stayed absolutely still. Pulling the blade free with the slime of brain matter coating a good area of the tip, she heard irregular breathing coming in fast from the left. Somersaulting backwards, she watched as another creature swiped with a claw-like hand right where her head would have been. Unlike its companion, it was a little more on the bulky size, half its torso exposed underneath very dirty rags. Rotating its head around counter-clockwise, it gazed at Yang while the tongue hung out like a panting dog.

“You're a fast one, but unfortunately your breathing is a bit on the heavy side. You could spare a few more minutes to shred some more fat from that gut and exercise properly.” Taking insult to the statement, the bulkier creature lunged forward again in hopes of catching its prey. The blonde attempts to maintain a level head, keeping light on the balls of her feet and dodging her opponent's attacks; her clothes have sustained some damage while she searched for an opening to strike.

The creature, with half its gut and intestines hanging out, continued to attack recklessly. It has no awareness of its well-being, taking on a slash across the back when the blonde moves toward a blind spot. It merely lets out a gurgle scream, turns around, and attacks even harder. Yang notices the change and found herself more on the defense much to her annoyance; the virus strain living within its host body was slowly evolving, and to the blonde's knowledge none of the researches know exactly how it does it.

Sparks flew as the animal's claws swiped against the blade, the only thing standing between it and the human. Yang could tell just how desperate the enemy was at getting at her, attempting to knock the weapon out of her grasp. However, the blonde did not give it that opportunity and switched hands when applicable; if she feels like she could end her opponent with her fists, then she will. That's the only time she would willingly let go of her weapon. Even though her dad gave her basic fighting techniques for self-defense purposes, it was ultimately her uncle who made sure both his nieces were somewhat fluent in handling weapons.

Ruby immediately decided on using a weapon like Qrow over close-combat. Yang on the other hand, favored her bare fists at first before deciding to try a little bit of sword-play from Raven. Taiyang was a little hesitant of teaching Yang so much, but Raven wasn't because she wanted her daughter to be as well-rounded as possible. Besides, the dark-haired woman herself was dangerous with or without her blade, and the blonde stride to be and surpass her mother. Smirking at the memories, Yang refocused and blocked another strike to the head. Switching up her grip, she slammed the hilt of the sword against the head, disorienting it.

_One more strike to the head will do, but I need to immobilize it. Perhaps I'll do it the old fashion way!_   The blonde stuck the blade into the ground while the creature stumbled, keeping it close as a game plan formulated within her head. _This should bait it now that it assumes I'm weaponless...._

“Grrrrrrrrr....!!” Snarling and getting the stars out of its eyes, the creature changed up the strategy and got behind the blonde. Pulling its left arm back it rushed forward with the target being the head. But Yang was ready and she moved her head to the right just an inch, a smirk on her face as the head flew past.

“Whoops, you almost got me there.” She says as she wrapped both arms around her opponents, using its strength against it and threw it to the ground. Grabbing onto the hilt of her weapon, she plunged it downward and impaled it through the gut, pinning it against the ground. The creature snapped its jaws in fury, trying to reach out to her. Positioning her foot over the skull Yang stomped hard, crushing through the bone immediately. Her face contorted into disgust as she went about wrenching her weapon from the torso, wiping the bottom of her foot on the dusty rags the best she could. “Honestly, you were really close in taking me. A+ for a valiant effort, but in the end...you were just the underdog.”

Glancing around, she takes a moment to analyze the damage. Bodies strewn about the area were not moving much to her relief, but soon she realizes that there's one missing. Sure, in the dance of slashing through flesh and bone, she was mentally keeping a tally of how many she killed. Narrowing her eyes, she felt uneasy and the cells within her body were raising red flags. The wind began to pick up, and that's when she notices the glowing red eyes leering at her. The silhouette was much larger than she originally expected, but she was correct in the fact that the host body was that of an alpha beowolf.

Its matted fur, tangled with burrs and decomposing flesh, flared out at all angles. The large forearms – although covered with patches of fur – shows signs of decomposition; Yang could see the faint white color of bone protruding from semi-open holes. The red blemished skin looked incredibly painful, and there were marks that indicated that the creature gnawed on its own flesh in hopes of relieving itself from the itchiness.

The hind legs fared no better, clumps of fur here and there and some hung on by mere strands. The claws were jagged, covered with cakes of blood, and unkempt. The tail, once elegant and lush, now looked like a rat's tail; there was no more fur covering it, it had been reduced to only a naked thing sticking out in the open. Its beaten muzzle was covered in bite and scratch marks, indicating the amount of fights it took part in before it was beaten down to submission by the strain. Saliva dribbled down its rotting fangs, either coating the fur-lined jaw or dropping to the ground with small 'plops'. The sullen and sunken red eyes were no longer filled with any signs of life, meaning the virus had full command of its host.

“Finally decided to show yourself, you are the only one left standing so don't make me wait for another eternity. Hopefully you are much more of a challenge than your other little friends.” Yang brazenly leans her weapon against her shoulder, smirking at the infected creature as she taunted it to come closer. So my gut feeling was correct, this guy is the ring leader.

“Grrrrrrrrrr...” It snarls in response, digging its nails so deeply into the ground that it made three inch deep gouges. Yang knew she would be torn to shreds if she were ever caught in its clutches. Once something has been infected by the strain, any kind of self-conscience would deteriorate over time, leaving behind only a husk for the parasitic host to command. “Grrrrrrrrrr!”

“Yeah...I know. It hurts, doesn't it?” Yang asks sympathetically, twirling the sword above her head before holding it out towards her opponent. “The virus took everything from you: your identity, your thoughts, your sense of living...everything. You want it to end, don't you?”

“Grrrrrrrrrrr!!”

“Then come, I'll give you the salvation you desperately need.” Ears perking forward, the beast answers the call and lunges. Yang barely registers the attack when a broad shoulder slams into her chest with the force of a bullet train, sending the air straight out of her lungs. Tumbling across the ground, she finally came to a halt and gags, trying to get some of the air back through the steady stream going through the tube. It wouldn't do her any good if a lung were to collapse, and she didn't want to risk getting any serious injuries to her internal organs.

The enemy did not give her enough time to rest and jumped forward, claws outstretch to tear into her flesh. Flipping herself over, she dodged the attack safely and scrambled back as the blanket of dust flew into the air. The beowolf turns, its dead red eyes tracking the human's movement as it attacks again. Seeing as there won't be a next time to dodge, the mechanic raised her weapon to block the claws. The two were locked in tight, struggling to over power one another in a contest of brute strength. Yang was extremely thankful for the mask, otherwise she would have succumbed to the rancid stench of the warm breath against her face.

_Damn...this thing is different than the others!_ The mechanic growled to herself, feeling her feet starting to break and slide back as the beowolf continues to push against her. Calling up whatever strength she could muster, she readjusted her stance and stood her ground.

The lips curled back on the creature, obviously angered that its prey was fighting back. The struggle war continued before a small, ghost of a grin appeared on the creature's face. Grabbing onto the blade with a claw, the wolf manipulated the blonde's arms so that they were raised only slightly, giving the creature a clear shot to the human's stomach. So it did just that. Yanking the blonde forward, it thrust its right knee towards the solar plexus.

_This is gonna hurt!_   Yang tightened her core, preparing to absorb the impact when she realized what the plan was. The pain was incomprehensible, and the blonde nearly passed out as she felt her stomach cave in from the hit as the blunt surface dug into her. Holding back the urge to gag, she leaned over the wolf's knee before pain shot up along her back. It actually sunk its claws into her flesh and it was extremely painful with how the barbs were hooking underneath the surface. 

With a roar, the creature swung the blonde around and around, gaining enough speed before sending her flying towards the building. Yang let out a yelp as she slammed against the structure before slumping to the ground, her weapon clattering to the ground a foot away from her. A trickle of blood streamed down from the left going towards the right. The infected animal prowled a bit closer, watching and waiting for any signs of movement. First there was nothing, then came the slight hand twitch, and stopped the creature in its tracks.

“Well count me surprised, ugghhh....You deserve more credit than I originally imagined. Damn...that really hurt!” Yang groans out when she regained conscious. Noting the warm liquid on her face, she wiped the blood from her eyes with a hand and stood back up. The creature crouches on all fours, waiting for her to make her next move. “Unfortunately, it's time I bring this little bout to a close.”

“Hrrrrrrgh....” It huffed, seemingly understanding that the next attack would be the deciding factor. Both fighter were weary and worn out, desperately wanting to get it over with. “Grrrrrrr!!”

“Time to show you, why this weapon was considered the best of the best.” Staggering over to reclaim her weapon, she twirls it over her head and held the handle confidently in hand. Closing her eyes and reopening them, she whispered, “Howl....Harbinger.”

**_Ka-ssssssssssssh! Tck! Tck! Tck! Tck!_ **

The gears embedded within a large area at the bottom of the handle began to spin, and the blade slowly detached into various segments. A steam of air hissed out monotonously as the sword changed its shape. Yang now held a very dangerous-looking scythe around her shoulders, the glint of the blade catching the imagine of its target: the zombie beowolf. The creature sensed an unspeakable evil coming from the weapon itself, taking a subtle step back and ears laying flat.

_With this one strike, I'll end it. Shit...I'm feeling fatigued, and my vision is still not back to normal. But...I won't miss!_ “Don't blink or you'll miss.”

“Grrrr?” The creature did just that, and in the flash Yang was right by its side. The place where the mechanic once stood was marked by a little indent in the ground where her boots were. It attempted to counter, but instead it froze up once the feeling of cold steel resting against its neck registered in its mind. Glancing over to the side, it bared its fangs in one last attempt to act defiant as the mechanic just grinned in response. She knew she won once she triggered Harbinger's other form. "Grrrrrrrrrrr!!" 

“Nighty night.” She says sweetly, and in one swift pull severs the head from the shoulders by slicing through the furred neck. A small fountain of blood spews into the air, the head dropping to the ground before tumbling a few more inches, coming to a halt with the eyes pointing skyward. The body toppled over not a few minutes later, collapsing at a weird angle.

“Thanks Qrow, for watching my back. You always were the best uncle.” Yang whispers almost to the inanimate object in her hands, flicking off the remaining essence of flesh from the steel surface of the blade. Changing the scythe back into the sword form, she went about making sure her enemies were in fact dead. Dragging her feet around the perimeter for another solid check, she deduced that Salem was perhaps aware that someone was bent on taking care of her, and so she sent out a scouting party. Once she felt safe, the weary and tired blonde went back into the abandoned building, treated her wounds to the best of her abilities, and fell asleep for the still long trek towards Beacon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, Qrow's weapon Harbinger is in Yang's hands. 
> 
> How she got a hold of it will be answered later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang finally comes across a run-down refill station, and pumps fuel into her bike. Unknown to her, she ends up meeting someone she didn't expect to see, and he's brought with him something that would get all the creatures running.

**Chapter 4: Don't make a Sound**

_The next morning....._

When Yang came around her body was stiff and hurting from the scuffle last night. She had bandaged herself up the best she could, making sure she didn't have any internal problems, but she wasn't a medic by any means. It was times like these where she wished she did have a companion who was well-versed in the art of healing. Deciding not to worry about the smaller things, she smothered out the remains of the campfire and packed her belongings. Once everything had been accounted for and placed back to where they belonged, she set out.

Stepping out with Bumblebee by her side, she noticed that the small group that paid her a visit had all but vanished. Their bodies have decayed completely and returned to the ground. Hoisting herself over the leather seat, she ignited the engine and rode off. Traveling was just how it was before, but the mechanic knew that it would be a little different. The air began to shift and she was noticing many dark silhouettes popping up at various places, an indication that she was getting a little closer. Dark ominous clouds wafted in the far distance, and she could only imagine that the quality of air was very bad.

Sometimes the road was lined with broken skeletons of either human or animal, uncovered by the winds as the blonde rode past; Some of the skulls gazed at her with their hollow sunken eyes, calling out to her for help. She felt really bad for them, shaking her head to clear any terrible thoughts. During her travels before the war, she would see something incredibly gut-wrenching and she wonders if there was some way she could have saved at least one unfortunate soul.

_Sometimes not everyone can be or wants to be saved, my little dragon. Regardless, you do what you think is best, and take responsibility for your own actions!  
_

“Dad...” Yang whispered as she remembered his words. She never forgot the day Taiyang went out perhaps in search for Raven on his own, leaving her behind at the facility and in the care of Velvet who was two years her senior at the time. The rabbit faunus took a liking to the blonde and did her best in providing what was needed, especially in the companionship department. Her thoughts then traveled to the said faunus, and Zwei, and everyone back in the facility. She wondered how they were, or if they missed her every day.

_Of course they do, Velvet already told you she'd missed you when you left. Don't forget that!_   Yang admonished herself, feeling ashamed for her selfish thoughts. She had held herself together, focusing on the task at hand and the only way for her to stay sane was thinking about those who has or had placed their belief on her. Her dad, her uncle, her sister Ruby, Velvet, Nora, Ren...all of them. Her fingers curled around the handle bars tightly, Bumbleby doing its job at staying on course.

_Shoot, I'm getting low on oxygen with this cylinder..._ She notes, feeling the lack of fresh air flowing through the tube. She knew when she was getting low: When the cylinder is at full capacity, the flow of purified air would be steady and long; the cool and sweet aroma would rejuvenate any pair of lungs. When it's low the air flow becomes shorter, humid, and stuffy; it's almost like she was being dragged, suffocating in a desert.

Coming to a stop, she checked her metering to make sure she was able to breathe a little without the mask. The light was yellow instead of green like she had hoped. Scowling, the mechanic realized that she would have to hold her breath for awhile and only inhale small puffs at a time if need be. But, a little voice in her mind told her that she could do it within a single breath. Switching cylinders takes deft and meticulous handiwork, any margin of error must be kept very small. If someone wasn't careful and makes a huge slip, contaminated air could seep in and ruin everything entirely.

Taking a deep breath, Yang worked fast. Her eyes darting back and forth as her hands worked their magic, unscrewing the clasps and pinching the nozzle to not let any air leak out or go in. Soon, she managed to swap out the cylinders without any problems, the cool and purified air of a brand new cylinder flowed through the tube into her mask. Exhaling her held breath, Yang began to regulate her breathing and welcome in the new wave of air. Putting the empty container into Bumbleby's compartment, she continued her traveling.

_I'm also around a quarter of a tank...did I really travel that much? Guess I never notices...Don't know if I can actually make it to the next rest stop..._ She looks at the dial with concern, the long red arm was pointing to the tick way underneath the half-mark and almost near the empty mark. She had been diligent in watching for road signs, but most of them had their paint worn out due to the environment.

As luck would have it, her eyes spotted a medium size structure in the distance and she immediately spurred her bike forward.

* * *

  _At the abandoned refill station...._

Yang pulled up into the empty lot, letting the engine hum a little longer as she took a look around. It was as Velvet had told her, the entire place was desolate. The store had shattered windows and the inside looked like a mess. Gazing at the nearest machine, she noticed that there were still lights on signaling that she was able to pump fuel into her bike. She thanked whatever God came to mind for coming to her aid as she pulled her bike over.

“There may not be much fuel at this place, but any is better than none.” She muses, killing the engine and kicked the stand out. Unscrewing the lid to where the fuel tank was, she put the nozzle in and fiddled with the buttons. A small fume of smoke started to come out through the back, so she went to take a look. Taking her box of tools out from her coat pocket, she unscrewed the nuts and bolts with a screwdriver and removed the panel. A mangled mess of wires greeted her, some exposing the insides from which an animal has sunk its teeth into, others completely ripped apart.

“Well...this is just as messy as that finale project Ironwood gave us when I was back at Atlas. But a couple of aspects looks very familiar to me.” Yang grumbled, grabbing some gloves from the compartment to avoid getting shocked, and went to work. There were times where she had to unscrew all of the machines looking for usable parts; hell, she even went inside in search of some wiring that were embedded within the walls. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she continued working, fingers angling and placing wires where they needed to go.

“And....that should do it!” Looking over her work and screwing the panel back on with confidence, Yang packed her tool kit and walked around to the front. Pressing the button that caused the smoke in the first place, she was greeted with a smiley face on the slightly cracked screen. Placing some lien into the machine, she was rewarded with the sound of fuel guzzling through the tube and into her bike. She breathes a sigh of relief and leans against her bike, closing her eyes for a minute to rest.

“Well now, fancy seeing you here, Xiao Long. I'd recognize the sound of that shitty bike anywhere.” A voice spoke, getting her attention immediately and she opens her eyes. She was so sure that there was no one else other than herself, that she let her guard down for a split minute. A mistake that could have cost her her life if circumstances were different, but she had a vague feeling of knowing who the person was. “Still playing the little hero, aren't you? You always were that type of person back at school, the type of person I'd love to pick on.”

“Hmmm?” She lifts her head to see another human sauntering up, a man with combed back brown hair and daring blue eyes. He wore a dusty school uniform, with blood splatters all over, and he smelled like he hadn't showered for months. Her own eyes honed in on the slightly crooked nose, one that she had to bust many times. “Cardin?”

“The one and only!” He boasted, gaining his bravado when he recognized the girl from afar. At first he had been apprehensive, afraid that the silhouette of the girl was an infected creature, but when his ears caught the sound of the motorbike, he felt relieved as well as a pang of jealousy. Here was someone who looked as though she hadn't been affected by the war, and he suffered hardship just to get a place to sleep. “I won't let you forget about me that easily. I still carry around a physical scar for what you did.” He pointed to his nose with a finger.

“It makes you look prettier.”

“You're lucky my dad didn't bust your ass when he saw what you did. We all know just how poor your family is, Yang. As poor as the dirt underneath my own shoes!” That was a low blow, and the blonde's eyes flashed in warning. Family meant a lot to her, and she'd be damned if anyone bad mouthed those she cared about.

“What are you doing here, Cardin?” She asks him as she reigned in her fury, leaving her bike to consume fuel and walked up to meet him. Cardin was a bit on edge when she approached, not knowing if she was going to attack him or not; his first introduction to her fist – ie his nose – was one to remember. When he didn't learn his lesson, the second meeting was for hitting on and antagonizing the blonde's sister Ruby. Yang made sure to give him extra hell, sending him crying back to his dad. “Why didn't you get on one of the transports to a shelter? You could have spared yourself from the suffering.”

“Ha! You think I'd be scared of a little disease and the other pathetic animals? Look around you, Yang,” He swept his arms wide and grinned. Upon closer inspection, Yang noticed that the male wasn't even looking after his own hygiene. He clearly lost himself. “Now that there's no one on the streets, no cops around to apprehend criminals, there's probably tons of treasure to loot. And they're all mine for the taking.”

“You know, for someone who is the son of a wealthy man of the Winchester Estate, you sure are a dumb bastard. I really shouldn't be surprised at this point.” Yang commented, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance. That irritated Cardin and she continued, “Honestly, how did you manage to pass school? Daddy's filthy money?”

“Shut up, you wench. How dare you show up all high and mighty like you own the damn place. You were always this way, you and that bitch Schnee. You two always ruined my fun, made me look like a giant fool in front of the entire school.”

“Ah, but looking and acting like a fool wasn't our fault. You were already doing such a great job at it, we just amplified it to a whole new level for everyone to see your...talent. You have got to extend your platform, otherwise no one would know your fame.”

“You bitch, stop your mockery.”

“I would, but you're just making it so easy for me. How can I not take advantage of this opportunity?” Roaring with anger, he reached out to grab onto her coat collar, but she merely grabbed his arm and kicked his feet out from underneath him. With a yelp of pain and surprise, he found himself flipped over on his back with an angry blonde standing over him.

“Y-You...”

“I wouldn't do that again if I were you.” She warned him, backing away with utter disgust and wiped her hand on her pants. “If you are done horsing around, then get the hell out of my sight. I'm done playing with you.” with that, she turned on her heels and walked back to Bumbleby.

“You bitch...don't you dare turn your back to me.” Cardin calls after her, sitting up with a furious expression on his face. The blonde ignored him, and he angrily rummaged around his pocket before feeling the cool steel against his fingertips. _Heh, thank god I ripped this off my old man right after he was bitten. I knew I'd find a use for it at some point in time, she'll be the second person to bite the dust!!_ “Fine then....if you want to be that way...don't say I didn't warn you!”

_There's no way that boy will do anything reckless, he's just bluffing and hopes I'd turn around._ Yang thought as she continued walking, her hands nonchalantly stuffed into her pockets. She's heard the boy's threats multiple times to know that he never means what he says. _I mean, it's not like he has something that could get the ghouls running our –_

**Bang!!**

Pausing mid-step, Yang stiffened ram-rod straight and her eyes widened with disbelief at the crisp sound of a gun pierce the air. Whirling around she saw Cardin on his feet with one arm raised towards the sky. The gun held in his hand had been discharged, a wisp of smoke coming out of the nozzle.

“Heh, even the great Xiao Long gets scared when a little gun goes off.” He gloats and lowered his arm till it was parallel to the ground, taking aim right between her eyes. “The next round is just for you, so I hope you accept it was that sickening smile of yours.”

“Do you...have any idea what you just did?” She hissed at him, her hands trembling in fury and in fear. Her stomach was doing somersaults as she spoke. “How the hell can you shoot a gun off like that?! What the hell were you thinking?!”

“Bitch, what kind of stupid questions are those? Of course I know what I did, I discharged my fucking gun to get your damn attention.” He had no sense of urgency and didn't pick up on the blonde's strange behavior. All he cared about was exacting his plan and making the blonde submit to him. “Now come over here, so I can let it go off in your body. But before it does, allow me to have my way with you. That's all I want to accomplish in this life.”

But Yang wouldn't do such a thing. She turned around and ran to Bumbleby, realizing that the bike wouldn't be able to get a full tank. Glancing at the screen, she saw that the machine only needed another thirty-five minutes before it was done. There wasn't enough time and she didn't want to stay for long. Her ears soon picked up the sound of feet rattling across the ground, the clicking of jaws followed suit and then they all heard the loud moans of the creatures.

“W-W-W-What...? What the hell...are those?” Cardin, his body trembling, turned around to see many shadows marching towards him. The gun fell out of his grasp, hitting the ground with a loud clack. “Wait....don't tell me. Those are the...the infected.....No way....why are there so many? This has got to be a dream right? It's just a dream I'm gonna wake up soon!"

"Kakakakakakakakaka!!!" The rattling of bones sent shivers up his spine and he knew he wasn't dreaming at all.

"Go away....fucking go away...” He held his head between his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. "Go away, go away, go away!" 

“Those...are the pathetic creatures you badmouthed earlier. Saying 'go away' won't make them disappear, so you can stop that silly chant.” Yang told him, carefully removing the nozzle without getting fuel on her clothes and screwed on the lid tight. Fuel continued to spill out along the ground, but she couldn't stay around to cry about the waste. She got her money's worth for half a tank and prayed to come across another refill station. “Have them play with you a little longer.”

“W-Wait!! Take me with you!!” The man scrambled towards her just as she swung her leg over the leather seat, and the engine of Bumbleby roared to life. He tripping over his own feet in haste, face-planting the ground with a crack. He lifted his head, blood, snot and tears rolling down his face. “Please don't leave me here! I've been on my own since my place was ransacked by those bastards! My old man succumbed to them, and my mother followed after. There's no one left for me to return to!!”

_A part of me doesn't care if I save him...hell, I don't really like him for what he did back during our school days. But I can't in good conscious leave him here to rot. If I can save a life...I might as well do it._ “Fine, grab on. But if you do something I don't approve of, you'll be sorry.” She held out her hand for him to grab. His eyes lit up with relief and just as he was reaching out a hand to hold onto hers, the first creature pounced, digging its rotten teeth into the man's shoulders.

“AHHHHHH!!!” He screamed and the creature dragged him away from Yang, towards the eager mouths of its fellow brethren. “YANG!! Help!! Arrrrrgh!!” He let out a wail as many claws and teeth tore into his body, his eyes focused on the blonde with her hands outstretched. With his last strength, he feebly held out an arm towards her. “Help....me...please...”

_Chomp!_

A creature jumped up as high as a piranha would out of water and tore the arm right off by the elbow, munching on the flesh with content. The trickle of blood oozing between its teeth were enough for the blonde to feel sick. All hope was lost for Cardin as the surge of creatures piled up on one another, starving and eagerly fighting over for a piece of morsel. Yang spurred her bike into action, leaving the carnage behind. She felt terrible, not because of Cardin's death necessarily, but because she could've saved a life if they had been fast enough. She didn't want to dare look back over her shoulder, fearing that the creatures would run after her since she was the only one who survived the attack. Now all she had left to remember was the image of the brown-haired boy reaching out to her in desperation, another image that would soon haunt her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey look, it's Cardin...and he's gone. Zombies really are attracted to loud noises, but nothing gets their motors running like the scent of fresh meat.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang continues her journey, attempting to flee from Cardin's death. However, she ends up approaching an abandoned nest crawling with infected bodies. Against all odds and fighting for her life, something or rather someone has come to save her.

**Chapter 5: The Trap**

_On the road....._

Yang didn't know how much time had passed, all she cared about was putting as much distance as she could between her and the run-down station; more importantly, she wanted to escape the killing. Sometimes she dared to look over her shoulder and swore she saw the haunting of Cardin, mouth agape and hand outstretched towards her. Her ears were bombarded with his pleading voice, his last breath before falling silent. The mechanic quickly faced forward, squeezing Bumblebee's sides tightly with her thighs almost as if she was urging the bike to go faster.

_No....No! I shouldn't be this way!!_ Clutching the brakes, the bike came to a screeching stop and stayed absolutely still, engine slightly purring underneath her legs. The blonde slumped over on crossed arms, panting heavily as she tries to get her breathing under control. She wasn't thinking rationally, and she was letting something that was already dead to haunt her. By urging Bumblebee to go faster, she was running through the fuel like money and she knew that she would run out sooner rather than later.

Angrily clenching and relaxing her fists, the mechanic decided to continue her journey at a slower pace and eased gently on the gas; she made sure to take a mental note of the fuel gauge. The red needle fell a little underneath the half mark, but based on her calculations she was going to make it to her next destination....wherever that was. She knew she had a ways to go before she gets to Vale, so the next stop would either be a pit stop or a place for her to rest.

_The land has altered so much since the war. If I were to continue forward...there's no way I'll be able to make sure Bumblebee doesn't come away with scratches or dents. Well, I mean I could if I was careful enough but..._ The blonde thought to herself as she surveys her surrounding, eying the rocky terrain before her. According to the map there were two routes, one going through the rocky environment and the other going wide around. However, she couldn't tell if there would be refill stations so she decided that she would just go through the rugged path.

“Ahhhh, screw it! There's no way I'd abandon Bumblebee for those creeps to lay their dirty hands and claws all over.” Yang exhaled loudly. Gently urging the bike forward, the blonde kept her senses sharp as the tires roll-over the cracked ground. If there was any signs of doubt she would pause, listen very closely, and then proceed once she deem everything to be okay. She had to do this kind of tactic more than once, as if that doesn't add more pressure to her anxiety levels.

She traversed a good chunk of land, turning on winding roads as well as steep ledges. All the while, she made sure she didn't scratch or bang up her vehicle; Yang gave blessings to whomever was above that Bumblebee was able to run so smoothly, she never would've made it this far without it. That was, until she came upon a restricted area where no modes of vehicles could proceed any further. Grumbling under her breath at the inconvenience, she got off and rummaged through the compartment.

“I'll be back for you, baby. I promise.” She whispered, picking a seclusive space for Bumblebee to take shelter in and touched the side with her hand. She figured once she found a way out, she'll retrace her step and come back for her beloved transport. Shouldering her weapon and her trusty bag filled with a couple of food and one cylinder of pure air, she made the journey on foot. Rugged and sharp rocks bit into the palms of her hands as she scaled cliffs, tore into her legs and arms when she pressed close to the walls. Bit by bit she checked the map and used it as a guidance, a pointed arrow on a compass.

Heaving herself to the top of another jagged ledge, Yang let out a breath of relief and wiped her brow. Turning around she came to a freezing halt. She ended up walking into what appeared to be an abandoned nest. Empty holes yawned up, indicating perhaps cave openings for large creatures, but since the war it hasn't had any new residents. That is, until the mechanic's ears heard the movement of bone sliding across rock.

“Well, guess I believe my luck has taken a turn for the worse.” Yang murmurs as she picks up the presence of many bodies surrounding her. She was so focused on figuring how to get to Vale that she failed to take into account that the infected would also roam around and in much bigger quantities. It was as though the corpses found themselves a home to reside in, and stirred when the stench of something fresh roused them into action.

“Kkkkekkkekkakakaka.”

“Chachachachachacah.”

“How wrong I was thinking you bastards wouldn't be anywhere...what a big idiot I am. Should of known silence meant danger.” Yang growled as she pulled Harbinger out from its holster and rested it over her shoulder; her right leg was crossed behind her left with the toe pointed down. It was a stance she had seen Qrow execute multiple times before he fought. He would so casually have his beloved weapon over his shoulder, right leg crossed behind the left as he went about taunting his enemies. The blonde thought it would serve as a loving tribute to her late uncle. “Well then, there's nothing else I can't do about it now. How about you guys do me a favor and get lost?”

“Kakakakakaka!!”

“Tcktcktcktcktck!”

“I'll take that as a no then...Qrow never really taught me how to understand your language.” Her eyes darted to the side, and she took half a step to the right. A punch breezed past her left ear and she smirked; the maneuver reminded her of the time she attempted to train Ruby in hand-to-hand combat. Kicking out her left foot, she knocked the corpse's shin out from under of it before slamming the hilt of Harbinger underneath the mandible. The teeth rattled like maracas as the head snapped back, exposing the neck muscles where the flesh eroded away.

Not letting herself freeze up for too long, she kicked it back before ducking as another body came hurtling towards her. While other dead beings wouldn't mind bodily contact because they are no longer aware about the concept of personal space, Yang does mind and she made that known by slashing right through the torso without a second thought. Both pieces of flesh plopped to the ground with a sickening sound, making the blonde shudder and grimace. She quickly slammed her blade into the rotten heart before smashing the skull in with a boot. There was no room for marginal errors, and she as hell wasn't about to tango with the same corpse twice.

“Rtatatatatatak!!”

“Yeah, you wanna end up like your buddy? In pieces and smashed?” She asks as she pulled her blade out, turning her gaze to another corpse whose tongue was hanging out lopsidedly from its open jaws. Its fingers were flexing now and then, digging gouges into the ground like jagged scars. Twirling her weapon in hand she charged forward. “I'm more than happy to obliged!!”

“Gaaaaagaaaaaaagaaaaaa!!” The creature roared in response, scrambling like one of those two-armed snake monsters Yang once watched on a documentary just for fun. It was an awkward git with lanky arms that dangle on the side, and the movement can be erratic at times; to some it was almost like a hypnotic dance utilized to confuse the prey and stun them. Yang kept her wits about her and tried not to get confused, tightening her fingers around the hilt.

_Sharp and quick. Always aim for the vitals for instant death._ She reminded herself, step-siding to the right at the last minute with her eyes gleaming. One rotation with her hips and the flick of her wrist allowed her blade to sing; the steel munching straight through bones and meat, eventually devouring the rotten heart. The creature howled with pain as it fell face down, its momentum carrying its body a few more feet. Then it fell silent. As she drew breath, fingers tangled themselves into her blonde tresses and tightened, nearly jerking her head back.

“Grrrukkkkkakakakaka!”

“Ow! Watch the hair, damn it!!” She shoved her elbow back into her captor, feeling the grasp loosen. A couple more times and she was free, rolling out of the grip. Pouncing on the corpse, she thrust Harbinger into the open chest cavity, hearing the squeal of resignation and despair escaping the infected corpse's lips. Yang didn't have time to make sure her deed was done before the sounds of many corpses rushed her. With her blood pumping, and adrenaline, the mechanic felt all her movements were automated. Blood splashed everywhere, and yet she was unfazed. It was an instinct, that instinct to live and survive.

_Crrrrrrrrrrrrrraaccccckkkkkk~_

“What the-?! Whoa!” Yang glances down as the ground underneath her and her enemies gave way, crumbling into pieces and opening up into a enormous pothole. Or at least that was what the blonde initially thought. When her feet no longer touched solid ground and she felt her body falling downward, she realized that the hole was deeper than it appeared.

* * *

  _Inside a cavern..._

The blonde regains consciousness after the long fall, shaking her head to dispel the dirt and other dust that had fallen on her. She knew Harbinger had fallen along with her, but because it was pitch black she couldn't see exactly where it ended up. Reaching out to the side with her left hand, she felt the moisture and yet, rough texture of the wall. When she reached out to the right, there was absolutely nothing. Lowering her arm, she wiggles her fingers around a little further and came to the conclusion that she fell onto a ledge; her fingers did find the edge, and she can only imagine that she would need to hug the wall in order to move forward.

Hoisting herself to her feet, leaning against the wall for support and to use as a guide, Yang took her time trying to get her bearings. From what she could tell she didn't break anything, but she was incredibly upset that she couldn't see her weapon anywhere. She could only pray that her foot would brush up on it, or she could find a light source and come back to search for it. Sometimes she wished she had night vision. Stumbling forward, it was awhile until she reached what she assumed to be an exit.

Claws of death immediately snapped over her limbs, and body and she was wrestled to the ground. Her instincts flipped on and she fought back with what she got. Somewhere in the scuffle with the infected, her mask had been torn off and thrown out of her line of sight. The blonde began to feel frantic like a cornered animal, the air was thicker than usual now that she was underground and should she go without drawing a breath, death by suffocation seems to be over the horizon.

“Unhand me this instant!” Yang growled, but her captors just ignored the threat; they knew it was an empty one to begin with. Their claws kept her rooted to the spot, effectively restricting her movement when she became fatigue from struggling. She could hear the clicking of their jaws distinctively near her ears, eager and salivating. She knew that the group of creatures did whatever means necessary to capture their prey, even going so far as to work together. “God damn it....”

“Kikikikikikik...” One chatter in particular caught her attention and she looks up to see a tall, lanky human corpse approaching her from behind the group, a male's corpse. The faint burgundy-colored hair clung to one side of the head, the other side seemingly shaved off with only small clumps of hair. He had on tattered rags and a black coat, but the glowing red eyes immediately signified his position as a leader. There was froth brewing down the corners of his mouth, disturbing the blonde on the spot.

“Gross...you need to wipe your mouth.” She told him bluntly as he leaned close to her face, the hot rancid breath tormenting her nose at full force. The blonde did her best not the retch. “Ugh, and some breath mint. Don't hurt to freshen up for the ladies.”

_Squelch!!_

It took a few minutes for Yang to register the idea that a sword had just found itself a home in her stomach, biting straight into her skin. She didn't see the weapon at first – it appears to be a katana from what she wagered from the hilt and the blade – since the male corpse had hidden it so well in his approach. This kind of behavior was advance, especially when another weapon was involved, made her opponent dangerous.

“Uuuugh....” She coughs out as the blade attempts to dig deeper into her body. With her own arms restrained on both sides and a boney forearm wrapped around her neck to restrict air flow, Yang found herself in a very dangerous situation. She could feel her warm blood dribbled down and it only continued to increase with time. The blonde didn't know how long she'll last, but she kept her eyes on the dead red orbs in defiance. Her mother's words rushes through her mind: _Never shy away from Death. Stay defiant and fight till the damn end until you are satisfied. You can't afford to have lingering regrets!_

“Kekekekekekek!” A guttural laugh bubbled from within, and a sneer peeled itself across his face.

“F...Fuck you...” Yang choked out as the arm around her neck tightened, effectively shutting her up. _I'm...I'm losing consciousness...is this how it ends? No...I don't want it to be just like this. I still have...much more left to do!_

Bang!!

“Grrrrrgrrrrrrrr!”

“Mmrrrrrghhhhgg!!” The creatures scrambled for cover as what sounded like crisp bullets rained from behind, their jaws chattering at a fast pace. The red-haired corpse pulled his sword out, the steel tainted red with Yang's blood, and beat a hasty retreat. He glanced over his shoulder, seemingly committing the blonde to mind.

Bang!! Bang!!

Needing no other incentive, the male slithered off into the shadows without another word. Crumpling to the ground when the restraints disappeared, Yang quietly grasp for breath and covered her wound with an arm. She swore she could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching her. However, her vision began to fade away and the last thing she saw before succumbing to unconsciousness was a pair of amber eyes glittering like jewels.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang comes face to face with the very person who saved her.

**Chapter 6: The Nameless Savior  
**

_Somewhere..._

“Did you hear? Uncle Qrow took down a couple more Ursas today!”

“No way!! You think he's gonna bring back some fur pelts as trophies?”

“Nah! We here in Patch won't have any need for them! Atlas on the other hand, he'll make good money if he sells the pelts to them! It's freezing cold up there!!”

“I wanna go to Atlas one day. Think we'll see some snow?”

_Huh? This is..._ Yang opens her eyes and sits up, unable to believe what she was hearing. She found herself back home in Patch, as green as she remembered it to be. Looking over she witnessed two kids laughing and sitting with one another. One kid with wild blonde mane, the other with short red-brown hair. _This is my memory from our childhood...._

Getting to her feet, Yang followed the children as they trotted off, still chattering with excitement. It was blissful to hear that kind of noise again, and she kept her distance as she traversed through her own memory lane. Some more images popped up along the side in no particular order, capturing her attention: Her entrance exam into Beacon, Ruby's birth, Raven coming back. There were so many things that she wished to spend the time to remember, but she had to follow the kids.

“Hey Sis?” The younger of the two suddenly speaks up, coming to a halt. There was a slight breeze, lifting petals and other petals around them, but Yang was too engrossed in the conversation to pay attention.

“Yeah?” The younger version of Yang asks as she too, came to a stop and looked at young Ruby. “What is it?”

“I just want you to know...that I'll always be there if you need me to be. I won't leave you to shoulder all the responsibilities.” Both Yangs felt their hearts swell for different reasons: Pride and Regret.

“Awwww! My little sister is trying to be a grownup!” Little Yang chuckled, bringing Little Ruby in for a good ol' fashion sister noogie. Then she huffs and states, a smirk on her face, “But don't try to grow up too fast alright? I still want to be your big sister.”

“Yaaaaaang, I'll always be your younger sister.” Ruby smiles, giving her sister a huge hug. “No matter what anyone else says.”

“Krrrr!! Krrr!! Krrrr!!”

“Guahguahguahguah!!!”

_No...No. Oh please, not again!!_   The blonde turned around to see the similar shed in the distance. The two kids dissolved, and came back replaced with slightly older models. Their mouths were moving, but the only noise that the blonde could hear was the crescendo of Death marching towards her. Their eyes were sullen, dark craters within their faces. She could remember just how their teeth rattled, how their putrid smell insulted her nostrils. And that is all it takes for her to spur into action.

“Get away from them!!” Yang roared, but as she rushed to intercept the wave of corpses oozing out of the run-down building, the ghoulish beings all phased right through her like phantoms. Or rather, she phased through them as if she was the phantom. Hitting the ground, she turned around and tried again and again and again. The results didn't change. She finally collapsed to her knees, and watches with horror as the kids succumbed to the very event that gave her her trauma. _No please...please stop!_

“Hey, Yang!”

_Ruby?!_   Yang blinked and she found herself sitting in front of her computer, the air filled with her heavy breathing. The walls of death had crumbled away before rebuilding and reconstructing themselves into those of Atlas' walls. She had been thrown back to her years at Atlas going through one of their programs; it had been more than ten years since the incident.

“You okay?” Ruby's voice floated through the video chat, and the mechanic could see her sister's concerned expression through the little camera screen. The black hair with red tips that Ruby sported and grown out, tumbling til the tips were at her chin. “You seem...off. Is everything okay over there?”

_What is...going on? My consciousness is jumping...from events in my life..._ Yang shook her head and focused on her sister. “I-It's probably lack of sleep, you know how grueling these classes and exams are. Don't worry, I'm managing. W-What were we talking about?”

“Dad's gonna get me a puppy, so when you come back you'll be able to play with him!” The younger of the two exclaimed, letting out a childish squeal of delight. “You know we've been talking about this since you got into Beacon. Dad figures it'll be like an early birthday gift for me, and a congratulation gift for you!”

_That's right...Zwei came into our lives when I was away._ Yang nearly smiled at the thought of coming home to the delightful bundle of fur, but couldn't muster up enough strength to do so. It reminded her of the precious corgi still living alongside the others back at the facility. She felt like screaming her head off.

“Sis? You're zoning out again. Are you sure you're feeling okay?”

“Sorry....I...” Her hands curled into fists underneath the table, trembling against the top of her thighs. “There's something...I-I don't know how to explain it...”

“Yang, you look like you're in so much pain. You know I'll always be here if you ever need to talk, right?” The screen shimmered and Ruby herself pushes herself out. Yang felt her body freeze up, keeping her eyes focused on the startling silver-eyes inching close. “That's what we promised each other back then.”

_That's the thing, you aren't there to talk to me in the real world. You aren't here anymore...you are just a fragmentation of my own memory._ The blonde glances down, feeling unworthy of looking at this sentient being known as 'Ruby' in the eyes. It made her blood boil, knowing that her sister's life was taken away, and here she was in some alternate fantasy. _And it was entirely my fault. I couldn't save you. Your death was and still is meaningful to me, but every time I replay that day and saw you fall...I feel like this endless loop of nightmares is making a mockery of it!_

“Yang, look at me.”

“Ruby...I want this all to end.” Yang whimpers, looking up as the girl gently cradles her cheeks in her hands. Ruby leans forward and whispers two words into her ear. The blonde's eyes widened before she felt some force wrenching them apart.

_Breathe. Sis._

* * *

  _Inside a mysterious location...._

_WHEEEEEEZE~_

Yang's eyes widened as she took a deep breath and exhaled, her chest expanding and contracting. The dim lighting greeted her and she blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn't dreaming; she even went so far as to pinch her skin till it turned red. The mechanic had been lying on her back for an unknown amount of hours on the cold ground, so she was feeling the jarring pain in her lower area. Her mask that had been discarded through the fight had found itself back over her nose and mouth, a cylinder attached to her belt buckle.

_God...it was all just a dream._ “Wh...Where...” She craned her neck to look around and absorb more about her surroundings. Based on the musky earth smell, and the amount of insects crawling about, she made a guess that she was still somewhere underground. How delightful. “Where am I...? What happened? And ow! This headache is becoming unbearable...everything hurts.”

“You're awake. Took you long enough, I swear you shouted a few...disturbing things I wish to not parrot back.” A voice catches her attention and she watches as what appeared to be a shadow peel itself off the wall. The distinctive amber eyes brought everything back to the mechanic as her gaze was held. “For a second I wasn't sure if you were going to survive. But there was this...certain aura about you. Oh, you can also remove that mask. The air here isn't toxic, I would know because I live here."

“You...You saved me.” Yang spoke as she did just that, tentatively taking the mask off and placed it beside her. The figure knelt crouched down, keeping her eyes solely on their amber counterparts. There was just something mesmerizing about them the first time she spotted the glowing orbs in the dark, despite being a very brief encounter. Now as she looks into them for a second time, there was just so much mystery that gratifies her. She felt like she wanted to dig even deeper to unravel their secrets, looking through every nook and cranny. “Thank you.”

“What were you thinking? Walking into that nest is like asking for a death sentence.” The figure – appearing to be a female now that she stepped into the light, the shadows cast accentuating the breasts. Her raven-colored hair tumbled down till it was halfway to her back – admonished her. She had on a dusty cloak over her shoulders and underneath it was a loose gray t-shirt with the red words 'Computer Fang Junkie' emblazoned across the chest. Because of the rips and tears, Yang could see the black crop top underneath. For bottoms she donned black fitting pants and similar colored boots. The female's fair colored skin was like a pale moon, but under the dim lighting, it had the illusion of being sightly tanned. “Had I known I would've joined you immediately.”

“Don't look down on life like that...It was too late when I realized what was in there.” The mechanic whispered in response, already knowing their ideals were going to clash. Taking a deep breath to make sure she didn't say anything she may regret later, she looked at her possible companion and asked, “May I ask for your name?”

“Why do you want to know?” One eyebrow rose at the question, almost as if it was a foreign concept. “Names are nothing more than labels that can change if one wishes. Out here...no one cares what anyone is called.”

“I just want to know the name of my savior.” Yang says, making sure not to sound too pleading. She swore she saw a glimmer of playfulness or interest flash within the amber hues. But it was extremely fast, like a faint smile. Yang couldn't tell and hoped she could rouse that emotion up again for confirmation.“It's only a standard greeting between us humans. Besides, this is our first time meeting each other, so of course I would like to know.”

“Heh, humans you say. I'm not a human.” A hand rose and unraveled the black ribbon from her head. Once it was removed Yang could see the black furred feline ears on the top of her head. “I'm a faunus.”

“They're actually really...really cute.” were the first words that came to the mechanic's mind as she stared intently, watching the objects of her gaze twitch. “They're really cute.”

“Cute?” The female tilted her head and blinked once, unsure how to respond. _This is the first time anyone has said that about my faunus trait. All this time, I've had them covered by my ribbons. But this girl...this human...isn't at all perturbed by it._

“Uugh, by the way where's my stuff?” Yang asks groggily, placing a hand to her head to soothe the slight pounding against her temple. She could stare all day at the ears, but there was more pressing issues to address.

“Your bag is by the door, I found it about a couple feet back from where I saw you. The mask came later, and I figured what the purpose of it was.” The raven-haired beauty jerked a thumb to where the ruffled and bruised bag was leaning against the wall. “Surprised the items within weren't completely trashed.”

“Oh thank God.” The blonde breathed out with relief, relieved at least something of hers didn't vanish. Then she followed it up with, “And my weapon? Did you manage to find my weapon?”

“...dunno. Don't know what it looks like.” Now the blonde let out a long, painful groan and covered her face with both hands. “Hey. Forget about it. It's just a weapon, people lose those out here all the time.”

“You wouldn't understand, it's not just a weapon.” Yang said through gritted teeth, and attempted to sit upright. When the pain emitting from her core became too much, she laid back down in despair. “That thing belonged to a dear family member, and it means a lot to me! I have to find it! Nngh! What are you– get off!! What's the meaning of this!?”

“If you were that eager to die then I shouldn't have stuck my neck out for you. That little pow-wow group are mostly active at this time, now that we riled them up.” The raven-haired growled from where she straddled her guest, pinning Yang down with both hands pressed against her chest. At this point, Yang figured struggling would end up bad for her, so she just allowed herself to submit underneath the weight. “...why do you continue to breathe...when the world has spiraled into a literal hellhole.”

“Well, why should I give up so early?” Yang questioned back, gazing up challenging into the smoldering eyes. She wondered if the female could feel just how hard her heart was thumping within her chest. “There's so much left to offer in this world.”

“Ha! You are delusional and idiotic. The war has taken more than you realize, there's nothing left to save or to hope for. Those that are still hanging on by a thread, wait for their turn to disappear. It's only a matter of time.”

“...who hurt you?” whispered Yang. “How could you let such thoughts cloud your judgment?”

“It's not about being hurt, and my judgment has never led me astray. I've just been desensitized. Nothing matters anymore, and when that happens...well, you can expect nothing else. The things you cherished most no longer hold any meaning.” and with that, the female dismounts and disappears. Yang sighs and lays her head back, feeling fatigue and the strength leave her body just from the conversation alone. Unable to hold back the spell of sleep, she let her eyes closed and drifted off.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little by little, Yang is getting better and soon she's able to explore her surroundings. One of her major hurdles is trying to get her raven-haired companion to open up to her.

**Chapter 7: Food for Thought**

_Underground..._

Yang, although pained and stuck sleeping on her back as her stomach wound healed, attempted to keep as close of an eye on her hostess. Since she couldn't move around too much, the raven-haired beauty would sneak in to lend a hand in dressing and redressing the injury. Afterward she would disappear without so much as a huff and leave the blonde to her own devices; sometimes they wouldn't see each other until the next morning. They would go through the process every single day – the blonde quietly letting the faunus tend to her without complaint, holding back the shudder as the soft finger tips dance across her skin – to the point where it became a routine.

Throughout their interactions Yang could never get a name out of her companion. If she asked or made any hint of the subject all she got in response is either silence, a leveled glare, or both. Normally she would try and nag a response out – it was a tactic that Ruby was extremely well-versed in whenever she wanted something – but the blonde stopped after the third time; on the second time, she nearly got her throat slashed for being a pest. Deep down she was sincerely thankful there was someone who could administer first-aid, and she made sure to verbalized it every single time.

“It's no big deal, just a useful skill I picked up along the way.” was the response as the faunus packed away the bandages, needle, thread, and the blooded cotton balls. “But this a one-time only deal. If you bleed out then I won't rescue you. Consider this your first and final warning.”

“Consider it dully noted.” Yang playfully remarked back, earning her a pair of half-lidded dagger eyes and a scowl. Apparently her hostess didn't appreciate this kind of behavior. Tucking the medical kit underneath an arm, the beauty left with a small huff. The blonde continued to stare towards the opening, promising to herself that she'll get better; she'll gather the strength to get back on her feet and actually explore the encampment.

Her wound was healing nicely, and she found herself able to at least lean against the wall for support when she attempted to walk. She was capable enough to grab some food and water on her own, although she avoided solids for awhile to error on the safe side; before she would ask for additional help eating since she was bedridden. During her time of recuperation and healing, Yang noticed how the feline eyes would dart towards the food. When she offered to share, the raven-haired individual would immediately turn her down, stating she had a hidden stash that could sustain her for a while longer.

Tentative small steps soon turned into limps before she was able to walk a straight line without falling over. Because she was still healing, long walks tired her out quickly and she'd have to take numerous amounts of rest. Yang was able to gather enough to explore a couple of spacious chambers, figuring out where the bathroom was and what used to be a very old kitchen. Machines and contraptions covered in dirt and cobwebs met her gaze as she roamed from room to room. Walking over to one with a huge hole near the side, her fingers lightly flew over the exposed wires.

_They're in such bad shape, I'm surprised there hasn't been any disasters like mini explosions....but then again, these wires lost their sparks. The humidity is preventing anything from drying up._ The blonde was lost in her thoughts as she roamed around a bit more. She made mental notes on a couple of things that would need fixing or could potentially be useful later down the road. Words of motivation, posters of figurehead, even scribbles written in ink could be seen decorating the off-colored walls. What's even more interesting is that the motivation posters were almost like a call for action, with the three claw markings a prominent symbol over the depiction of an animal head.

“White Fang...huh.” Yang's eyes roamed over the words splashed bright and bold. “They always were well-known for their outstanding computer prowess and programming skills. Not even the top security of Atlas could keep out these elite hackers.” She chuckles to herself as she remembered something. “One time Ironwood called for a complete shut-down of the Academy for about a week when their security was breached. Turned out, one of his subordinates fell asleep and his face pressed the wrong button. Something about protocol...but that was nonetheless hilarious!”

_Klak! Klak! Klak! Klaak!_

_Hmmmm? That sounds like..._ Intrigued by the noise that didn't sound like dead corpses, the blonde did a double-take and left the room.

* * *

_Inside another chamber..._

The mechanic followed the sound with strong concentration, her curiosity getting the better of her. Keeping her steps light, she peeked out from behind the wall, and notices her hostess sitting with her back turned. A various amount of monitors were placed along the wall and the floor, in some sort of cult-like structure; the lights illuminating from the monitors cast a variety of shadows across the face. Small piles of food bags lay strewn on the dirt ground, leaving nothing behind except for the crumbs. Something about the room screamed messy, and a pig's pen.

_It shouldn't hurt to see what she's up to...as long as I'm sneaky about it._ Swallowing her nervousness she approached from behind, not wanting to disrupt her hostess' concentration. _She still conceals her ears behind that tattered ribbon...Must be because of all the discrimination the faunus race had to deal with._ The mechanic thought to herself as she eyed the bow, watching it wiggle slightly by the movement underneath. _But...I for one, absolutely love them._ Unbeknownst to her, her left hand was slowly inching its way towards the ribbon in hopes of freeing the ears from their confinement.

“Don't. Touch.” The warning came out low and dangerous from behind bared teeth, golden eyes seemingly piercing into Yang as the faunus turned to glare over her shoulder. Once she determined that the blonde had safely retracted her hand from being bitten, the raven-haired beauty merely adjusted her ribbon before fiddling with her machines among the plethora of wires. “Next time I will bite your hand.”

“Guess nothing can get past you, huh.” Yang says in defeat, shrugging her shoulders and grinned sheepishly. “You win.”

“If you thought you were playing a childish game with me, then you best believe I won't take any part in it. Besides, you aren't as sneaky as you thought you are. I could sense you a mile away by scent and hearing.” The voice sounded drawled and annoyed, Yang didn't have to see the facial expression to know that she earned herself another stern gaze. “Really now, trying to approach a faunus from behind? That was a really dumb idea.”

_Yikes, that's some tongue lashing. She's quite harsh with her words, not at all holding back._ Yang winced a little bit, a frown forming on her face. She really wanted to befriend the faunus, but it seems as though the latter was keeping up her guard. It was almost like something within the raven-haired beauty's past was strong enough to build solid walls around her heart. _She isn't going to make this any better...although a part of me figures she isn't looking for friendship at all._

“Did you need me for anything?” A few minutes of silence was enough to rub the faunus' skin the other way. Was Yang that obvious or was the raven-haired beauty that sensitive? “I doubt you came in here just for a sighting.”

“N-Nothing in particular, just walking around and getting to know my surroundings....you know?” The faunus merely huffed at the statement before tuning the blonde out, her fingers going back to pound away on the keyboard. Yang gently sat down, wincing when she felt a subtle pain shoot up from her core, and proceeded to watch the girl with interest; it fascinated her how fast the slender fingers flew across the keys; it was obvious that the faunus has had a lot of experience in the field.

“Damn it...” The swear leaked out of the faunus' mouth, and the fingers came to a pause. "I just fixed that other problem...and now this one isn't working..."

“What happened?” asks Yang.

“It's as they say, you finally manage to fix one bug in your program and 99 more bugs appear afterward.” A sigh escaped the chapped lips and the faunus pinched the bridge of her nose with a hand. Yang swore her companion was extremely tired, not at all like how she was when they first met each other. “My eyes are beginning to hurt from–”

“From staring at all those monitors with those...little command lines?” Yang leaned forward, squinting as she watched a lot of words flashing across the screen at a fast pace. “Whoa, now I'm getting dizzy. I can understand your pain.”

“Don't get too invested. I don't have the skill to fix eyesight. But you aren't wrong, staring long hours into the night has finally caught onto me.” Getting to her feet, she rolls her neck to get the stiffness out. Then she proclaims, “I'm heading out for a bit to get some fresh air. You stay here.”

“Can I accompany you?” The mechanic asks as she got to her own feet, watching as the other female grabs something off the self and straps the object to her back. Then she crosses the room towards the opening with the intent to leave, confidence oozing with each step. “It's dangerous outside, let alone being by yourself.”

“You are weaponless. You could also pull your stitches, I don't have enough resources if you actually do destroy them.” She pointedly replies, throwing a knowing look over her shoulder. “If I get in trouble I can just run back here in the blink of an eye. I know this place like the back of my hand, some secrets you won't learn on your own. Should I find myself in a fight, I can take care of it easily.”

“But-”

“My answer is no, and it's final.” Not bothering to hear anything else, she turned on her heels and walked out, leaving the sulking blonde behind.

* * *

  _That night..._

The faunus silently made her way back in after taking a trip to an area where she could observe the outside world, feeling incredibly restless. Based on the lack of light she immediately assumed it was night time. But then again, it's been too gloomy and dreary to accurately get a good reading. She wasn't too bothered because she used her ears to pinpoint the noises of the dead corpses, the grating of their teeth was less than stellar. They were her only indications of what time it was, for the night was a time for them to hunt and be extremely active. Sure some of them enjoy coming out during the day, but the party starts when the sun sets.

_Hmmm, they won't be disturbing us any time soon. This place has been abandoned for a long period of time, there isn't anything remotely interesting anymore._ She thought as she continues walking, drawing her cloak around her body for warmth. _Well, except for the two of us...but I can only hope I'll be long gone by the time that happens. The lack of living speaks volume...it's only a matter of time when the world goes absolutely silent.  
_

Sneaking a peak into the chamber on her right, she notices the blonde sleeping away. Her chest rising and falling at a steady pace with one arm draped over her torso. Releasing a soft sigh of relief, the faunus beat a hasty retreat to her room. It may have been her sleep-deprived brain, but she swore the temperature within the room rose a few degrees. Shaking her head and berating herself, she strode into her own room and checked out her programs.

“Well, this command is completely wrong. If I just...type it out like this...” Settling down with her mind fresh, she was able to spot a couple of mistakes and finally got a couple of monitors to do what she wanted. Very pleased with herself, she pulled out her Scroll and made some personal notes, almost like she was documenting her progress. Stifling a yawn, she quickly typed out comments so she didn't lose her spot. Making the monitors go into sleep mode, the faunus proceeded to wash up and got ready for bed. When she came out of the run-down bathroom, she came to a halt when she found a small gift near her make-shift bed. Four cans of tuna stacked on top of one another, with an accompanied can opener and a fork. A short message made out of unusable wires laid not too far away, catching her attention immediately.

_Please eat us! Sorry for attempting to play a game with you. Hopefully these will make up for it._

“Heh. That human thinks she can get on my good side if she bribes me with food....cute.” A small smile curled up slightly, no matter how hard she tried to quell down the happy emotion. At first she attempted to ignore them – she wasn't used to getting gifts from others, let alone a human – but the long growl of complaint coming from her stomach over-rode everything in her brain. She felt as though she was driven by hunger, and the thought of senselessly becoming an animal just to survive scared her. She wanted to use her mind, and use the skills she developed to put food in her belly.

She was afraid her blonde guest saw through her facade of having a food stash, for she hadn't eaten anything fresh in a long while. Unable to hold back the cries coming from her empty stomach, she quickly sat down and grabbed the one on top. The aroma was beyond anything she had ever smelled before once she popped the lid open, and she wolfed down all four cans without problems. Licking her chops after the delicious meal, she pushed the empty cans to the side, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep with a slightly fuller belly. A soft purr rumbled out from within her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to think of tuna puns when it came to a chapter title...but I couldn't think of any.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang goes back to retrieve her weapon in a place her companion refuses to return to.

**Chapter 8: Her name is Blake**

_The next morning...._

“Phew! Seems like this wound is just about healed. Thank goodness!” Yang mused to herself, glancing down at her stomach injury. There was a light pink laceration which gave the blonde a noticeable scar. She gently trailed a finger along the mark from top to bottom, frowning slightly. “Sucks that my skin is now marred, before it was just smooth with no marks. But hey...now it makes me more of a badass.”

Rising to her feet and stretching out her limbs, she then proceeded to the nearest restroom to wash up, a small leather pouch in hand. It was by fate that hidden within the blonde's bag, among the food and other physical objects, there was a pouch that contained a variety of Dust fragments. Yang always praised Velvet for her quick thinking, and she will forever be grateful for the resources given to her. Today's agenda included tracking her progress, marking on the map, and making a note of her inventory. But the most important task: finding her weapon. The blonde absolutely refuses to continue her journey without it.

Shuffling towards the sink, Yang twists the handle and notices the contaminated liquid dripping from the faucet head. Collecting enough to fill half a borrowed cup, and not perturb by the uncleanness, she opens up the pouch and searches for a small blue-colored Dust fragment. Finding one – a size no bigger than a quarter – she promptly drops it in. The reaction took around twenty or so minutes before all the bacteria and other harmful pathogens dissolved. Soon the water was clear and purified, putting a smile on the blonde's face.

It would have taken the Schnee Company ten years to figure out the solution had it not been for the company's prime golden child Weiss Schnee. At a young age, she was sent through a grueling childhood of learning anything and everything she could from molecular structures to experimenting with dangerous chemicals. After years of experimentation and nearly lost her life – she bore a cut over her eye from a beaker shattering and a burn mark running along her left arm – Weiss had successfully found a way to harness the potential of Dust fragments.

Enlightened by the discovery, Weiss begged her parents to let her go to Beacon Academy in hopes of pushing her research a step forward; growing up in Atlas and seeing the same environment all day long wore her out, she wanted a change of pace for once. It took awhile for her father to agree – her mother thought it was a great idea for her daughter to broaden her horizon by exploration, so she gave her approval right away – but he finally relented and the heiress was on her way to be one of the world's most prestige biochemist. Her seminars were always a full house, and she was invited to speak at various places and events, showcasing her phenomenal breakthrough in the field. It was during one of her events that had been scheduled in Atlas she met Yang, a young and upcoming mechanic going through the program.

_Weiss Schnee was and still is perhaps the greatest friend I ever made back then, despite her being a snobbish brat the first time we met._ The blonde smirks at the memory as she proceeds to brush her teeth. Taking a swig of the water, she gurgled and spat out the toothpaste residue. Splashing the remaining contents against her face and neck, she felt rejuvenated and surprisingly alive; she inwardly joked how the water retained some healing properties, a version of Holy Water. _As we got to know each other better – I can remember the time she and I would share information or ask each other for guidance – and Weiss started dating my sister, I'm glad with how much of a progress Ice Queen made. Some of which I'd have to give Ruby credit, she always knew how to make her girlfriend melt._

Emptying and relieving her bladder, the blonde quickly washed her hands and proceeded to go about getting breakfast. Rations were extremely important, Yang never imagined running into another person that wasn't already a dead corpse. Finding two more cans of tuna, she made a quick trip to find her hostess. The raven-haired beauty was still curled up asleep when the blonde found her, her chest rising and falling steadily. Like before, Yang set the food down quietly and sneaked back out. She popped a few pieces of jerky along with slices of dried fruit, she wasn't one to settle down and eat a big meal.

Seeing that she'll most likely wait until the other woke up, the blonde went about removing everything within her bag and rearranging them on the floor. With her scroll in hand she took inventory down on an app, seeing how much material she had and how long they could sustain her. She didn't bring too much with her, leaving a good portion back with Bumblebee since she wasn't sure what she'd find.

“The best case scenario is to find a way through, and then find the quickest route to go back and get my bike. It's a stretch, but I believe it is do-able. All I need is the gorgeous raven-haired girl to give me directions.” Yang murmurs to herself as she unfolds a map beside her and observes all the routes available to take. She quickly pops another piece of meat jerky in her mouth, chewing the morsel thoroughly.

Besides the jerky she was well aware of the small parcels of actual raw meat that would need to be devoured pretty soon. She didn't want to be carrying around rotten food, and attracting unwanted attention. The stench of decay is strong enough to attract a zombie five miles away if the winds were strong. The mechanic made a mental note to actually grill some for dinner.

“You're up.” A voice alerted her to the presence of the raven-haired beauty, and she nearly choked because she had been too distracted. The mechanic glances over her shoulder with bits of food jutting out of her mouth, spotting the other leaning against the frame. She didn't have her ears covered, the fur covered appendage sitting on alert atop of her head. “Thanks for the food earlier.”

“No problem!” After chewing and swallowing the piece of food, Yang replies. It would be extremely rude to talk with her mouth full. “I was wondering if you could lend me a hand with something.”

“Hmm?” One eyebrow rose slowly at the request. “What do you need?”

“Do you remember the location of where we first met?” The blonde got a slight head nod in response. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a folded piece of paper, and wiggled it in the air. “Could you point it out to me on the map?”

“Why?”

“Can't blame me for being curious.”

“...fine.” The raven-haired beauty relented, gesturing for the blonde to get to her feet. “Let us go to an area with a little more space.”

* * *

_Inside another chamber..._

The blonde followed her companion to a room where there was a large flat table in the middle. Walking around to the other end and holding out a hand, the blonde realized that the raven-haired beauty wanted the map. She complied with the wordless instruction and handed over the parchment paper, watching as the map was unfolded to its full length. Placing four stones for the corners, the golden eyes roamed across the map.

“I found you here about to be skewered to death.” A slender finger reached out to tap a location on the map. “It's just on the outskirts of an area I personally call Old Crevice.”

“Why do you give it that name?” Yang questions out of curiosity as she took a pen out of her coat pocket, leaned across the table, and marked the spot.

“There are steep ledges, and places where one would have to watch every single step. There are places where the walls would just crumble at the touch of a fingertip.” came the reply. “I have seen so many fall to their deaths whenever I scour for scraps of food… actually, most of those that fell were already dead. But their haunting moans and hands scraping against the rocks could be heard along the winds.”

“Sheesh, they're a persistent bunch huh.” Yang scratched the back of her head with a hand, letting out an annoyed groan. “You'd think they would just go away, and disappear.”

“That's wishful thinking. Even if you couldn't see the bottom of the dark pits you would still hear them as crisp as day.” The raven-haired beauty replies, leveling her gaze with Yang. “They aren't going away. They want you to know that they're still there. Crawling. Screaming....in their own way, living.”

“Almost makes me think whether or not we're the ones that are considered dead in this twisted reality.” Yang states, watching as the corners of the pale lips quirked up in a smile. This was perhaps the first time Yang saw emotion, and she committed it into memory. “Seriously, we could be zombies dressed in flesh suits.”

“Your imagination is running amok inside that head of yours.”

“It always is, but I'm glad it is because you would be a gore-geous zombie.”

“...did you just...”

“Yup!” Yang laughs at her own pun, her mouth widening into a grin. It soon disappears when her annoyed companion reaches over the table, pinching the blonde's nose and sealing the nostrils shut. Lilac orbs widened and the mechanic did her best to ignore the pain. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“As cute as I thought your pun was...I believe our situation isn't the time or place to crack one.” The raven-haired girl's voice – although monotonous – hid a hint of play. It was extremely subtle. “If you were a smart one you'd know that I don't particularly like that kind of humor. So the next time you want to be a funny one...do me a favor and don't. Is that understood?”

“Y-Yes!” Yang squeaked, her lungs begging for some air. Nodding her head at the response, the beauty let go and the blonde immediately inhaled now that her nose was no longer plugged. “Whew!”

“I'll repeat myself again: Don't go out there to Old Crevice. I'm not playing around when I say those things.” The amber eyes flashed dangerously, hinting at the warning with lips were pulled back. Yang felt the hairs on the back of her neck stick up, staring back into the smoldering gaze. “I nearly lost my life trying to maneuver the tight spaces. I'd never go back there ever again.”

“But...is it really as bad as you claim?”

“If it wasn't then I wouldn't be standing here telling you about it.” Her companion, hip cocked with arms crossed over her chest, gave her a look of challenge as if daring the blonde to prove her wrong. “Seriously, don't go there.”

“I told you that I am not moving on until I get my weapon back. And since you've helped me pinpoint where it could be, I'll go and retrieve it on my own.”

“...you rather risk your life for a weapon?”

“Yes.” The blonde didn't hesitate to answer. The two of them stared at each other for a solid minute, neither one blinking. Finally it was the faunus who broke off, a huff exhaling from her lips.

“Don't say I didn't warn you.” with a death glare, she left. Yang let out a breath of her own, not realizing she had held it in during the stare down. Glancing at the map, she quickly folded it back up and held on to it tightly.

“I told myself this, and I'm going to stick to what I intend to do. I'm not leaving without my weapon.” The mechanic whispered to herself, strengthening her resolve and strode back to her room. Grabbing her bag, she rummaged around for two pieces of yellow dust crystals and two contraptions she manufactured back in Atlas. Strapping them around her wrist, she proceeded to stick the crystals into the circular mark. Leaving everything behind, she slipped out towards the entrance. I'm sorry. But I have to go.

“Tch...that hard-headed...eergh!! I don't even know!!” The faunus growled as she fiddled with her monitors, fingers flying across the keyboard. She didn't understand why she was so mad, she thought she had been thoroughly desensitized. Living on her own without human interaction reduced her to nothing more than an emotionless husk.

But ever since she saved Yang, and got used to having someone else roaming alongside, the faunus felt as though a portion of her humanity has been given back to her. When was the last time she felt as though she was in control? The fingers came to a stop, as the faunus contemplated the question in her mind. She allowed herself to be toxic, thinking of the situation in a negative light. Her partner had turned to a corpse, she had no idea what her parents were doing, and the other White Fang programmers either fled or died some place else. For all she know, she could be the last one left with a human concious.

Perhaps it really wasn't too bad hanging out with the human, not that the faunus would vocalize anytime soon; she isn't about to give the blonde that kind of satisfaction. Perhaps she was too hard on the blonde. It wasn't that the faunus didn't believe in miracles, but with all that she's been through, it was hard for her to put her faith in a concept. With a huff, she got to her feet and made her way to the room where she knew the blonde usually stayed, her thoughts all jumbled up and trying to piece themselves into coherent sentences.

“Hey listen, I was thinking – That damn...!!” Her lips curled up with annoyance when she notices the unoccupied room. Glancing to the side, she notices that the bag had been left behind, thereby signaling that the blonde intends on coming back. Running back to grab her weapon, she flew out the entrance as a dark blur, tracking down the scent. _I know that weapon means a lot to her but, that place is extremely hard to navigate! Even the most elite tracker can have a chance of getting lost and end up dead!!  
_

* * *

_Inside Old Crevice..._

Yang kept a tight grip on the wall as she takes a couple of glances at the map to reassure herself that she was on the right path. The ragged roads and unsteady structures kept her on her toes, definitely something the raven-haired beauty had spoken to her about. One misstep and she could end up at the bottom of the dark pits; she kept her grip on the wall light, and yet firm.

With the small pieces of yellow dust emitting a soft glow from the contraptions strapped around both wrists, the mechanic continued walking forward. Her ears picked up the sounds of moaning and scrabbling whispering up from the depths, almost beckoning her closer and closer. All her senses were on alert, prepared to flip the flight switch when necessary. Across the precipice of the unknown, she caught a brief shining not too far down. Coming to a stop she moved her arms so that the light could shine in the surrounded area.

“Oh! There you are...thank god.” The mechanic felt relief within her chest when the light reflected off a portion of Harbinger. The weapon had fallen, nearly succumbing to the darkness if not for the blade embedding itself within a jutting ledge. Sticking her tongue out of her mouth – a behavior she exhibit whenever she needed to put forth all her focus on a task – Yang began to lower herself, making her way towards the weapon. She pressed her body against the wall, not trusting herself to take the risk and separate.

“Shit!” The mechanic suddenly hissed in pain, trembling as the sharp jutting rocks tore into her skin. The environment was unforgiving, and the blonde was starting to leave behind some blood prints. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she inched her way closer and closer to her weapon. She was being very meticulous in where she places her hands and feet, testing all the holds to make sure her weight held.

Inch by inch she lowered herself until she was able to place her foot on the ledge. Her ears picked the sounds of the ledge slightly crumbling underneath her foot. Another deep breath in, she reaches out a hand and took a hold of her weapon's hilt. As she wiggles it to try and pry it out, she realized that if she removed her weapon the entire ledge would go away. Yang had to move quickly, and she was back at scouring for a solid foot hold. Once she accomplished that, she went about to removing her weapon from its entombment.

_She definitely came through here._ The faunus narrowed her eyes as she scouted out Yang, nearly like a blood hound. Her nose twitched at the plethora of scents, her ears swiveling on top of her head to catch the cacophony of moaning. Shaking her head to dispel the feeling to run, the faunus trudged lightly through. Due to the dim-lighting, a normal person would need the assistance of either a lamp or yellow dust crystals, but the faunus didn't need any of that. Her night vision allowed her to see everything as if she were walking around in daylight.

_Skrrrrr! Skrrrrrr! Skrrrrrrrr!_

“Hey, don't even think about scaring me.” The raven-haired beauty warns when she catches the sound of metal grinding against rock. She came to a stop when something suspicious alerted her, eyes darting from side to side in wariness. Her right hand rose towards the hilt of her weapon, fingers wrapping around tight. “I will give you a wound way worse than a stomach stab.”

The sound came to a halt, and that's when all the hairs stood up like mini red flags. Her legs moved her to the right as a corpse fell from the ceiling, its maw widen with the intent on eating. There was also a hunter's knife within its grip, the likely culprit giving off the sounds from earlier. Rolling to the side the raven-haired beauty rushed her opponent, her weapon already out of its sheath. Three critical strikes and the corpse collapsed with a gurgled wail, its eyes gazing at her in silence. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter before falling silent.

The faunus let out a brief breath before getting tackled to the ground from some large barreling from the left side. She had been so concerned with the first opponent, that she failed to notice another running up from the shadows. The force of the blow sent her weapon skidding out of reach, and the corpse pinning itself over the woman. Based on the weight and size, she could tell that this one was much bulkier than the smaller one; she assumed that they were working together to capture her.

“Nngh!!” She struggled as the zombie above hovered over her, pinning her wrists down and trapping her by planting both legs on either side of her hip. The rancid breath exiting its maw bombarded her nose in waves, and she couldn't help but gag. “Fucking get off!”

“Kakakakakaka!!!” The mandibles clicked together, almost like the creature was laughing at her. Its empty eyes continued to stare at her, almost as if it was trying to look for a critical point to latch on to.

_Is this how it ends? Food for the very thing that I had a chance to turn into?_   The faunus questioned, staring up at the creature with a tight lip. _Why do I feel this way? Why is it that I'm have conflicting thoughts? If I were my original self, I wouldn't have minded...but why is it that I feel like I want to survive?_

_You...You saved me._

_Don't look down on life like that..._

_I just want to know the name of my savior. It's only a standard greeting between us human. Besides, this is our first time meeting each other, so of course I would like to know._

_They're actually really...really cute._

_Oh that's right...that damn human. She seemingly wedged herself into my life._ The faunus nearly chuckled out loud as she remembered the mechanic. It bothered her that now of all times, her mind decided to fly to the human with the different colored eyes. _God damn it!_ Her brows furrowed and she bared her teeth to convey just how angry she felt. _Damn it all!! If I'm going to go out then I'll do it without fear!!_

"Don't tell me you're just going to lay there and take it.” A voice spoke before the creature let out a squeal in surprise. The faunus glances up in wonder as the corpse was wretched off of her. She lifted her body up, watched as the mechanic herself flipped the zombie over with a large weapon in hand. "Last time I checked, you didn't want anyone touching your ears without permission. And now I see you and a creature together? Well, color me surprise." 

_N-No way...she actually came..._

“Yo.” Yang growls angrily, embedding Harbinger into the corpse's shoulder and quickly planted a foot down to keep the weapon from moving. She glared threateningly at the predator, the creature writhing and screeching as it tried to throw the blonde off and escape. Its attempts were futile when the mechanic put her full weight on it, sinking the blade deeper into the rotten flesh. “Keep your germ covered hands off her. If I didn't get the green light...then neither should you.”

“Gakgakgakgakgak!” The creature responds, unable to move a lot and just stopped entirely. “Kakakakaka!!”

“Yeah yeah yeah, but she isn't a zombie à la carte...none of us are.” Yang grinned, applying more pressure against her weapon. Her prey screamed, scrabbling to break itself free once again like a cockroach. Seeing how the raven-haired girl was staring at her out of the corner of her peripherals, the blonde decided to make the kill as quick as possible.

Gripping Harbinger, she twisted her weapon so that the head was cleaved off its shoulder. For added measure she opened up the chest cavity to see it as rotten and empty as she imagined. Spotting one of the dark pits, she used her foot to maneuver the headless body over before pushing it over. Walking towards where the head lay, the blonde sent it after its body, and watched as it disappeared into the darkness. 

“You okay?” Yang then asks, turning on her heels and closing the distance to stand before the other. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't make it in time." 

“Y-Yeah...” She looks up when Yang offers out a hand. Gripping it, the blonde hoisted the other to her feet. “Thanks.”

“You don't look too roughed up, thank god.” The mechanic notes, glancing over to see if there was any open wounds.

“And you didn't seem to have pulled anything with that miraculously save, although there is some blood from where the raw skin is torn.” The raven-haired beauty glances at the blonde's torso, noticing the specks of red that slowly blossomed. “Your actions were quite impulsive. But I guess that's to be expected since you forsaken my warning, and rushed out here for your weapon.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Yang raised an eyebrow at the sentence. “Besides I believe I told you that I refuse to move forward...not without this baby.” Flicking the remnants of zombie flesh and blood off the blade, she reverts it back to its original form and straps it to her back. “Ahhhh~ Now I feel complete.”

“C'mon, let's get out of here." The faunus ambles over to where her own weapon lay, picking it up and strapping it to her back. "You can bask in your achievement when we get back.”

“Oho, well aren't you on edge. What's the matter? Can't stand the sense of adventure?” The mechanic cheekily teases the other, grinning when she received a glare in return.

“I told you why I hated being in this location, and now you have witnessed it first hand. I told myself I wouldn't come back here, and yet here I am. Honestly, what were you thinking?!”

“Thanks.” The feline ears twitched at the word, and she looked at the mechanic in curiosity. She didn't expected that kind of response. “You told me about the dangers, and despite your fears of coming back....you did it because you were worried about me. So thanks.”

Thanks to the lights illuminated from the blonde's wrists, she could see the small blush that crawled up the faunus' skin. Turning around the raven-haired beauty leads the way back in silence, showing the blonde a safer route. Throughout their walk, the blonde couldn't suppress the shit-eating grin on her face. Feeling Harbinger resting across her back was normal, and the raven-haired beauty took notice immediately at the changed demeanor. It was then that she realized she really didn't understand the blonde, and vice versa.

“So, um...” The mechanic thought it would be a good idea to clear the tense air between them. “Now that I have my weapon back...I was thinking that it would be best for me to move out. Thanks for being a hospitable hostess...umm...”

“Blake.”

“Huh?” Yang came to a halt when they neared the shelter, staring at her companion's turned back in surprise. The faunus had came to a stop too, one arm holding onto the other for self-reassurance. “Come again?”

“You asked me for my name did you not back when we first met?” The faunus looks over her shoulder, amber eyes sparkling with pleasure in rendering the mechanic speechless for a minute. “It's Blake.”

“Blake...that's a pretty name.” Yang smiles, loving how the name rolled off her tongue. “What brought this up?”

“I figured it would be rude to withhold my name, even after you mentioned yours.” Blake smirks, moving her hands so that they were laced behind her back. “Besides, watching you slaughter those creatures with the expression to kill...felt really cathartic to me.”

“Are you serious?” Yang asks, giving Blake a perplexed expression. “I-I-I mean...if that's what you're into that kind of thing...”

“Don't worry, I'm not.” The faunus laughs and continues walking. “Just wanted to see your reaction.”

“Blake, tell me something...” Yang states as she runs up to walk side-by-side with her. “How did you end up here by yourself? Why did you keep yourself hidden all this time?”

“Now that's going to be a long story...” Blake replies, letting out a slow sigh. Then she looks at the mechanic and states, “Wash up and meet me in my room. I'm going to walk you through how the White Fang came to be, and why the building we're residing in...is nothing more than its bare skeleton.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She finally gives her name. Next time it is Blake's turn to tell her tale.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Yang manages to retrieve her weapon, she and Blake a small moment together. Blake begins to open up a little bit of her past.

**Chapter 9: Blake's Past (I)**

_Back inside the shelter..._

Both females took the time to wind down after their adventure, each looking forward to a good night's sleep. After doing a maintenance check on her weapon and planning a quick shower,Yang offered to wash Blake's back to compensate her for her knowledge of the terrain; without Blake's help, Yang didn't know if she'd be able to find her beloved weapon again. The faunus did a double-take at the offer and spluttered incoherent words, finally stating that she would wash herself after the blonde finishes.

“We'll save water if we took one together instead of separately, I don't know how many blue crystals I have left. If worst comes to worst I'll have to break the bigger pieces into smaller pieces and the pureness will drop in quality.” The mechanic told her, digging around the dust pouch for a nice size blue crystal. Once she found one to her liking, she proceeded towards the bathroom with it in hand. “Besides, when was the last time you had your back washed by another person?”

Mulling over what the blonde said, the faunus relented and followed her in, closing the door softly behind them. They stripped out of their clothing without looking at one another, although little sneak peaks were thrown about because they couldn't help themselves. Making sure the blue liquid flowed from the pipes by the purification of the dust crystal, Yang insisted washing her companion's back first. There were two bins filled with water, one of which was designated for collecting the impurities. Blake carefully sits on a small stool, listening to the rustling behind her as the blonde got into position with a clean cloth beside her.

The faunus did her best to fight off the irritating blush as the mechanic's callous fingers danced across her skin first, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Yang herself made sure to go slow, noticing how the raven-haired beauty jumped when her fingers touched the silky skin. It was understandable, the faunus hadn't have human interaction for quite some time. After her fingers were done mapping Blake's back, the blonde then dips the cloth that had been by her side into a bin of clear water. Wringing out the excessive amounts of liquid, she then gently maneuvers it across the dust-caked skin.

Feline ears twitched, and the faunus couldn't help but love the coolness of the cloth against her skin. When Yang dips the cloth back into the other bin, she notices that the purity was turning a muddy brown. The blonde took precaution of the scrubbing, making sure she didn't make Blake uncomfortable or harmed her in any way. Dipping the cloth once again into the designated to rinse off the grime, she proceeded to wipe the nape of Blake's neck after moving the luscious hair to the side, making sure to dip the cloth into the clean bin beforehand. The faunus tensed up out of reflex, and the blonde stopped her advances. She waited patiently for her companion to give her the go ahead.

“Sorry, I wasn't expecting you to go for my neck.” Blake spoke up, tentatively looking over her shoulder at the blonde. “It...It tends to be a sensitive area.”

“My apologies, I just thought it'd be like an added bonus. Do you want me to stop?” Yang asks gently as she sat back on her heels. She had been on her knees during the whole menstruation, and could feel the bite of the rough surface against her skin.

“No...don't stop. Besides, I feel like you're almost done.” The faunus turns back around, gently threading her hair through her fingers like a flustered girl. She wasn't about to admit out loud that she loved the feeling of being pampered. “I...I can handle the front on my own.”

“Of course. Then I'll continue.” The mechanic begins to wash the porcelain back with carefulness, paying attention to every little detail now that most of the dirt was washed away. Once she felt as though she had done as much as she possibly could, she sits back with a smile. “There you go, your back is clean and new; man it feels, and looks like a new born baby's skin.”

“Thank you.” The faunus says, looking over to see the blonde rinsing out the cloth. The separate bin of water now turned obsolete from all the impurities, she couldn't even seeing the bottom of the object. _Wow, that back wash was really needed..._

“Do you wanna get the shower running while I lather myself up with shampoo?” Yang asks, perusing through the bottles and eyeballing the amount of content as she sampled out the weight. _There should be enough for the both of us...besides my hair doesn't need that much because of its short length._ “Shouldn't take me long...”

“I got something else in mind.” Blake stops the blonde from moving any further, and takes the cloth away from her fingers. She gestures to where she sat earlier, stating, “I believe it is time for me to repay you.”

“Oh? Are you sure?”

“I insist.” Blake says firmly, watching as the blonde trudges over and sits down. Dumping out the dirtied water, the faunus fetched some more from the faucet before kneeling down behind her. She dipped the cloth into the bin that hadn't been thrown out, before removing it and wringing out the excess liquid. The raven-haired beauty then went about her job, watching as the taut back muscles started to relax and loosen up underneath her fingers.

“I never knew you were capable of having a gentle touch.” Yang says as she felt the cloth move from left to right, massaging and rubbing the grime and dirt off her skin. She slightly arches her back when the faunus touched a tickles area. “You are just full of surprises Blake.”

“Hmmm? Why would you assume I didn't have a gentle touch?” The faunus questions, dipping the cloth into the other bin to wash out the grime. Wringing out the excessive water that was already turning murky, she moved her attention to the blonde's neck. “If anything, I was surprised by your gentleness.”

“Mmmm~” Yang hummed in the back of her throat as she felt the cloth attacked her neck, taking a chance to look down at her hands. The light lacerations from years past still marred her skin, and she smiled. “I've worked on various projects and earned some of these marks. But I can see where you assumed that I wouldn't have gentle hands.”

Once Blake finished, the two of them went out to throw their clothes into a washing machine located in of the rooms further in – Yang assuring her companion that she could spare a mid-sized crystal, she complained that her clothes were beginning to smell anyhow – before going back for a quick shower. The mechanic went first, turning on and letting the shower water trickle from the scalp down the front and to her toes. Lathering up on the shampoo and body wash, she spent time pruning her body and washing off the sweat that collected underneath her bosom. Making use of the solitary bin of clean water, she rinsed away the leftover sods, shivering a bit underneath the cold spray.

Blake stood a little further behind, making use of her time with lathering up herself with shampoo and body wash. When the blonde stepped aside she took her place, her ears flicking and twitching when they got wet. Heading her companion's words of being able to wash her front, Yang wrapped herself up in a towel and excused herself from the room; she no longer had a reason to stay and watch, besides there were other things she could do.

With the towel long enough to reach mid thigh, the mechanic whistled a small tune as she went about constructing a small pile of dry leaves and twigs that had been left behind to collect dust. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if Blake enjoyed the joint washing. Taking two pieces of crystals, this time both a red color, she struck them together as if they were flint rocks. The friction between both gave birth to tiny sparks, and soon there was a comfortable flame brewing.

Rummaging around her bag, she pulled out two, well-wrapped bundles of raw meat which had already been cut into strips. Feeling the heat of the fire against her back, she went about trying to figure out how to cook the food without the help of skewers, or a pan of sorts. She'd be damned if she had to hold the food with her bare hands over the flames. Scratching her head in hopes of an idea to come to her, she wondered out and looked around for things that just might work.

“Oh bless...” She breathed out when she noticed a couple of food cans laying around the floor of Blake's room. Grabbing the largest one she could find, she continued looking until she found an old, rusty grill rack leaning against a wall. Bringing her treasures back, she took her trusty knife and made a couple of strips out of the can, flattening them out and bending them slightly till they looked like extended tendrils. Placing the can about two feet from the already smaller flames, she make another pile of debris of leaves and sticks inside the hole.

Wiping the wire rack down and making sure it wouldn't move once placed above the can, the blonde picked up a twig that was already alight with fire and placed it in the new pile, generating a spark. When she sees the small smoke rising, she went about laying the strips of meat out. She gently fanned the newborn flame, blowing till the fire grew a bit bigger. The scent of meat being cooked slowly wafted through the air, and the mechanic breathed out a relief.

The delicate footsteps alerted her to the presence of Blake who had a towel wrapped around her own body. The faunus made herself comfortable, taking a seat near the fire to keep herself warm. The silky raven hair tumbled down her shoulder, the water droplets slowly dripping to the ground. Blake kept her eyes on the dancing embers as she wrung her hair out.

“These babies should almost be done.” The mechanic notes as she goes back and checks up on the food. Velvet had slipped in a collapsible pair of tongs, knowing the blonde would make use of it. Flipping the pieces around so the sides were all evenly cooked, she looked over her shoulder and asks, “You hungry? There's plenty here to go around!”

“...not really.” Blake grimaces in response, trying to quell down the urge to retch at the stench of cooking meat. Then she thought about it some more, and says instead, “Although, I could have a small piece...don't want to starve and all...”

“That's all I wanted to hear,” Yang smiles when she heard those words, and Blake's ears perked up in curiosity. “It hurts when I hear that you've been starving yourself....it's almost like you're wishing for death to come and snatch you away.”

“When you've been left alone in the results of the war...having those wishes aren't too far off. I told you, Death was a welcoming gift. Oh thank you.” She says when Yang offered her pieces of cooked meat on a stick, the mechanic made sure everything was sanitary to the best of her ability. The faunus took a couple of bites, eyes widening as her tongue came in contact with the juicy bits. It wasn't tasty, but it beats eating stale food from cans. “I mean, how could you eat knowing that death is around ever corner? Like, doesn't it feel unsettling....?”

“Well...try not to die in the first place.” The blonde says with a straight face as she took a seat as well, and Blake blinks at the comment. She wasn't sure if Yang was joking or not. Then the latter smirks, “What? Cat got your tongue or what?”

“Don't be a smart alec, damn it. Answer me honestly.”

“I mean, how can you not eat? You're depriving your body of its daily needs.” Yang took a bite out of her own portion, chewing for a couple times before swallowing. Then she states, “Hmmm, stingy and not much taste due to lack of seasoning. But it'll have to do, can't afford to be carrying a lot of these provisions that'll rot over time.”

“Hmmm, that's true.”

“But back to your question, I guess I was just like you. I've been through my own kind of Hell...I don't ever remember asking for Death to come and take my hand, though. My mother taught me to be strong, no matter what. She never faltered, and always had a plan up her sleeve. I thoroughly enjoyed it when I spent time with her, learning everything I can from her.”

“W-What happened to her?” Blake asks, intrigued by the story.

“Her job kept her from coming home often, she'd drop by during the holidays. It got to the point where she couldn't come back, and I haven't seen her since. I was left with my Dad, my uncle Qrow, and my little sister Ruby. But I'll find my mother because I know she wouldn't allow herself to be taken just like that.” Yang took a pause, before looking at the faunus. “Say, Blake?”

“Yeah?”

“Before we met...you know, back before we knew of each other's existence...Were you always alone? What about your family?”

“....No. I wasn't alone before we met, and I'm not talking about my parents. Our relationship isn't...very good.” The faunus replies after a few minutes of silence, eyes focused on the small flame flickering a few front of her. She laid the remains of her meal on the ground, somehow no longer hungry. “I had a few other friends, but there was someone in particular who was very dear to me. We had been through a lot, and I can't thank him enough for helping me get through certain situations.”

“So...where is that particular someone? How come I haven't met him? Is he still around?” The blonde asks, looking around as if the said person would pop out from behind the shadows. She was under the impression that there was a part of the infrastructure that she haven't explored yet, thus leading to somewhere unknown. “He's probably a shy person if he hasn't shown himself at this point.”

“You already met him, although I wouldn't call it a friendly greeting. And he definitely isn't a shy person, he's quite straightforward when it comes to getting what he wants.” The faunus stated with the sound of confidence in her voice, folding her hands over her lap. “He was the one who stabbed you through the gut.”

“Oh that guy....wait, what?!” Yang's eyes widened once the information finally clicked in her mind, but Blake's expression says it all. There was no doubt, no mistake. “That red-haired male with the katana....he was your partner?”

“Mmmhmm. Our relationship happened way back when I was nine years old...”

* * *

  _13 years in the past....._

The living conditions of Menagerie weren't as technologically advanced in comparison to those in either Vale or Mistral at the beginning of its colonization. Most of the home structures were created by straw and wood before opting to a more sturdier material like rock and mud. The locals were faunus whose ancestors had voyaged out of the mainland in search of a new home, settling on Menagerie and falling in love with it. Sure two-thirds of the land was desert, but the faunus did their absolute best with what they have.

Relationships between the faunus and the humans were somewhat strained, but both leaders had a truce that kept peace between them. Trade between both countries were mostly civil, but the underlying tension was always looming in the air. The chieftain of Menagerie worried that a civil war would break out, and did his best to quell his people. He made sure to hold the masses, reminding them that they need to maintain their relationship. There is only so much a country like Menagerie can do on its own.

“Ghira! How much longer must we endure the strife and derogatory slurs the humans cast behind our backs!” A faunus asks at a closed door meeting with the chieftain, his hands folded above the table. The tall, burly, dark-haired male normally holds meetings with the council members, making sure everyone was on the same page. “My men have sent me in reports of humans whispering behind their backs, saying things I wish to not say in our presence.”

“This action from our so called friends shouldn't be tolerated.” Another growls, his eyes narrowed with brewing hatred. “However, if we retaliate then the humans would cry 'Wolf'...not like they would love to paint us in a lesser light. Trust me, I have relatives who send me little videos and snippets.”

“Leader! Please cut off all ties with the human world. We'll be much better cultivating the resources on our own! We'll figure out a way to harness the deserts!”

“Leader! We should demonstrate our strength, to show those imbeciles that the faunus are no pushovers!!”

“Your Grace, please consider retracting that peace deal. It will only hurt Menagerie further while the humans get richer.”

“Calm down, calm down. I understand the frustration, and it saddens me that some of the humans are betraying our trust.” Ghira says as he looks at the members of his council. “We cannot generalize the human race in its entirety. There are only a few bad eggs in the basket as they say, but not all humans are inherently bad.”

“No matter how you look at it, you cannot deny the fact that the relationship between faunus and human are on the thin end. It's only a matter of time before one of us breaks...” An older member says loudly. “I hope that it won't be the faunus.”

“We aren't going to break, and I will make sure the humans stay true to our pact.” Ghira growls, immediately igniting another round of loud voices. He angrily let the members discuss the problem before bringing them all back together under his control. “If we are to bring about a war we will lose. Menagerie doesn't have many technological advances.”

“Then we'll have to steal their resources without them knowing.”

“You idiot! That'll only make things worse! What happens when they catch us?!”

“Resorting to name-calling are we? What's your plan, genius because I'm sure I'll be delighted to hear!”

“That's enough!” Ghira slams a hand down, his eyes flashing dangerously. All chatters died away instantly. “This meeting is adjourned, and I believe we have a lot to discuss the next time.” He stood up, and the others followed his example, although there were some who hesitated at the last minute. They weren't contempt with how the meeting ended, and would most likely cause trouble. “I would like for you all to collect more physical evidence. If the humans are planning on back-stabbing us, it would be imperative we don't tamper with the evidence. They will help solidify our case, should the human race be guilty in their crimes.”

“Your Grace, while I have my own misgivings I highly advise you to tread with caution.” One of the members says, looking Ghira straight in the eye. "I'm sure you noticed it yourself, some of us are beginning to doubt. And doubt is a deadly thing when you are in the position of power. If you exhibit doubt...then who's to say any of us will continue putting our trust in you."

“I understand. Thank you for the warning.” Ghira says and soon he was the only one left in the empty room. Rubbing his eyes with a hand, he then made his way back home. Various faunus taking leisurely walks around town nodded their heads in greeting. The chieftain's home was the one located near the back of the town, with very distinctive walls that surrounded its perimeter. Once he walked through the door, he nearly pulled his hair out with both hands. The strain and stress of being a chieftain continually rained upon his shoulder, and he was just feeling fatigue of the whole thing. Trudging over to a comfy chair, his absolute favorite place to lounge in whenever he wanted to ponder things, he took a seat and sighed loudly.

“Honey, what's wrong?” Another voice spoke and a young feline faunus pops out. Her ears were alert on top of her head, angled towards him. “You don't look so happy. Hard time with the council meeting?”

“You could say that, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Sorry if I worried you, Kali dear.” Ghira says as she came to his side, placing a tray of freshly brewed tea on the table. He blinked slowly, exhaling another sigh behind his teeth. “Where's Blake? Normally she'd come running whenever I come home like this...”

“Oh she's with her friend Adam, he came over today to play. They're outside near the top of the hill chatting together.” Kali tells him, wrapping both arms around his. “Don't worry I was watching them carefully from the window in case they needed any help.”

“Those two are inseparable.”

“Reminds me of us when we were young.” His wife purrs, giggling when she felt him press his lips against the temple of her forehead.

“Hey Adam? What do you think the future will hold?” Child Blake asks as she looks over at the red-haired boy, her eyes brimming with want and a thirst for more knowledge. The two of them high-tailed it towards the hill so they had some alone time. “Do you think there's more out there than just being a faunus stuck on Menagerie?”

“Hmmmm...well, I don't know for certain in the grand scheme of things but what I do know,” Her red-haired companion replies as he got up, puffing out his chest and smiled at her. “is that you and I will be together forever! Like boyfriend and girlfriend!”

“Adam, I'm like your only friend who is a girl.” Blake rolls her eyes playfully.

“Yeah, but that just means you are extremely precious to me.” He offered out his hand to her, and she placed her own hand in his. “Blake, you mean so much to me. And I swear I would do anything to make you feel like a queen. All you have to do is promise you'll stay by my side.”

"Of course Adam. I wouldn't betray you." At the time Blake heeded his words and did whatever she could to be with him, her prepubescent mind thought of nothing else. Her parents, were pleased with their development, giving the seemingly budding lovers as much support as they possibly could. When the raven-haired beauty first introduced her red-haired prince to her parents, he was on his best behavior and won their hearts.

However, that feeling began to dwindle by the time the two children started developing thoughts of their own; they were growing up into very dashing young adults, somewhat strong enough to have a taste of the world problems. Adam became increasingly interested with the political affairs between faunus and humans, striving towards understanding the relationship. Ghira had a sneaky suspicion when the younger male requested to be allowed into the meetings with the council. At first it was a harmless request, and the chieftain did it once to satisfy the boy's interest.

But when the red-head constantly insisted on going, a thought formulated in Ghira's head. The insistence soon became persistence and in the end, the chieftain just couldn't shake nor push Adam away. The red-haired faunus made his presence known at every meeting, taking notes and always on alert. He also wasn't scared of speaking his own mind, persuading the others with his ideals and theories. The chieftain could tell whenever he was going to lose power if he continued to let Adam has his way.

“Honey, don't you think Adam's...er...philosophies and rhetoric are getting out of hand?” Kali questions her daughter at the dinner table one night. She was very aware of the red-haired faunus' antics during the meetings, seeing just how tense her husband is when he comes home. Ghira himself kept silent and focused more on his meal. “Has he talked to you about...his ideals or his goals or anything?”

“Oh of course! All the time!” Blake smiles as she served herself a helping of steaming mackerel and tuna, not at all worried unlike her parents. “It makes my heart sing knowing he has the interest of faunus in mind. I love it when he becomes so passionate about his cause.”

“I see...” Kali takes the time to glance at Ghira, but he still ignores the conversation. His mouth was moving which indicated that he was chewing his food.

“In fact, I think he's planning on running for a position in the council!" Blake continues, not noticing how Ghira had paused in his eating. He lowered his hand as he looked at his daughter with horror.  "Imagine what good things he has in store for us when he is in charge!”

“Blake. I don't want you to hang out with Adam anymore.”

“What? Why?!” The young faunus turns to look at her dad in surprise. Kali herself looked at her husband with a hurt expression on her face, knowing that it was tough for him to deny his kitten anything; Ghira would do just about anything for Blake, but initiating Adam as a member of the council was not going to fly. “What...What do you mean by that?!”

“Blake, that man is extremely dangerous.”

“How can you say that? I thought you and mom were supportive of us!” By now, Blake had discarded her dinner and just glared at Ghira. “I thought you'd be proud of us....”

“Kitten, I am proud of you...but Adam isn't that sweet boy I remember.” Ghira growls, his hands tightening into fists which both females could see. “I know just how deep his thoughts are, and how toxic they are whenever I'm hosting my meetings. He's manipulating everyone, rousing them and getting them to go against the humans. That is not the solution.”

“Dad, Adam has said that the humans are taking advantage over us in trade...especially those in Atlas. Those money-hungry mongrels are just blinded by their money to see how much damage they're dealing us. Can't you see how fast our resources are being depleted?”

“But we can't storm up to them, blame them for screwing us without a lot of proof, and declare a war. That's what Adam wants to do and I can't allow that to happen. Out of the mouth proof is not how this works, and so I am proposing that we wait and see if there is another way!”

“That's an old way of thinking....While you wait and think, the humans would already take most of our provisions.”

“It's called taking precaution. Most of us on the council aren't as trigger-happy or impulsive like the younger generation.” Ghira tells her sternly, but Blake didn't want to hear it.

“Then maybe it's time for the old to go and the new to replace. I understand it now...you're worried that Adam will usurp you as Chieftain.”

“How dare you....” A hand slammed down upon the table, but Blake didn't back down even when her ears folded against her head. Ghira stands up and glares at her. “You did not just say that to me, Blake Belladonna. Those are my most trusted advisers, hand picked by myself after going through the picking process, sitting in the member chairs. And yet they are being persuaded by a novice who had absolutely NO business being in my meetings in the first place!!”

“You're just mad because Adam has better plans and know how to run a country than you! You are just as power hungry as the humans!!” Those were harsh words and Blake couldn't take it back. She rose from the table, incredibly hurt and upset that her parents no longer approved of her relationship with Adam. “You know what, I don't care anymore. Adam said he'll be by my side every since we were children and I wholeheartedly believe in him. If you two won't accept him for what he is now...then I don't want to be accepted either.”

“Blake, you're being too hasty.” Kali says, watching as their only child turns to walk out. She didn't say anything during their banter, only sitting on the side to listen. “Please...think about what you're doing!”

“At this point...don't even consider me your daughter. I'm done.”

“Blake!”

“Let her go, Kali.” Ghira says, stopping his lover from running after Blake who disappeared after the scathing words. He had sat back down with a huff, intending on finishing his meal. “None of us are in the right state of mind. She won't listen to us when she's riled up like that.”

“But...” Kali's ears laid flat against her head as she looked in the direction that her daughter ran off in. "Blake..."

“She'll come back on her own, by her own choice.” He says confidently, grabbing some more food and piling it onto his plate. “The more we push her the more she'll push back. My guess it's just a rebellious phase any teenager goes through.” What Ghira didn't count on was a separate faction under the control of Adam was churning, as well as not knowing that he literally sent his daughter straight into the arms of the very man he hates.

For Adam's part, he was just as angry at the Belladonnas when Blake ran to him crying. He was in bed when he heard her outside his window, and he immediately let her in. She spilled everything to him, telling him what her parents said and how mad she felt in response. Once he got her to calm down with some gentle rubs and peppering kisses, he assured her that everything would be alright. While he was busy at meetings, he began to cultivate a small gathering of followers of his own afterward.

“So far it's only a few guys and girls. But we managed to get a small shipment of high-tech parts to build and manipulate to our control. Your father won't mind if we take stuff from the inventory, most of the items aren't very noteworthy...I think.”

“We don't have much to begin with, Adam. My dad will notice that there would be items missing sooner or later, he's not as dumb as you think.”

“Relax baby, we'll pay him back with twice or even three times the amount. My followers have already begun to hit the books and ransacking the warehouse as we speak. Once we get a couple of computers up and running with the necessary software, we'll be able to infiltrate our enemies through the cyber space.” Adam pauses in his talk before asking, “Blake, do you ever wonder how deep a network runs? Or just how much data is accumulated within the computers and the scrolls?”

“No...not really.”

“Well, get ready for you mind to be blown. The networks run extremely deep, and the amount of data stored within is massive. Even those naughty stories you read at nights are cataloged.”

“Wha- naughty...pfffffft!! I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Liar. I can see you turning red like my hair.” He teases her, and she smacks his arm in response.

“Just get to the point, Adam. Why are you telling me all this?”

“Of course, but you sometimes wonder why some people don't bother with reading a physical book. Everything is digital, my love. Everything we do, every time we touch a button or do anything like play games, they are all digitally recorded and stored inside. I believe this is the greatest opportunity for us to take advantage of.”

“You think your scheme will work?” She watches as he slips out of bed, walking towards the window with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Come with me, my darling.” He turns around, and held out his hand for her to take. That one motion immediately reminded Blake of the one Adam did back when they were on the hill. “From this point forward, the White Fang will begin launching massive operations. Those affluent humans from Atlas, as well as those who scorn the faunus for being second-class citizens...they will never know who hit them. We'll strike from the shadows. Can I count on you, my love?”

“Yes, Adam. You can count on me.” Slipping out of the covers, she walks towards him and places her hand over his. From the moment she ran off to join Adam, burying her nose through tons of coding textbooks and other materials, Blake felt as though a part of her identity had been discarded. At the time she blindly followed Adam like a loyal companion, believing that what she was doing was entirely for the sake of the faunus. Little did she know that the war turned everything upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Adam were childhood friends turned lovers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake finishes telling Yang about her past, only to find out that her own health was beginning to deteriorate from the inside.

**Chapter 10: Blake's Past (II)**

_Around the campfire..._

“You and Adam....created the White Fang together?” Yang asks once there was a slight break within the story, watching as Blake take in a shaky breath. She was enthralled with her companion's past, hanging tightly onto her words. The fire crackled a bit and the mechanic took a stick to stir the embers, jostling them to make sure they still burned. “Not to mention...you ran away from your parents in order to be with the one you love.”

“I was young and blinded by Adam, fully believing that he knew exactly what to do in life. Honestly, he was my everything. A charming sweetheart, sometimes extremely reckless, and always tending to my needs even when I didn't ask him. There was nothing faulty in his character.” Blake replies as she continued to stare into the flames, captivated by the light. “I didn't regret my time with him, in fact I learned a lot while under his teachings. We did a lot of things together, and I made sure his needs were met on a daily basis.”

“Uh huh.”

“What's with that look?” The faunus frowned, catching what looked like fleeting innocence leave the blonde's eyes. “What are you thinking about?”

“Er...I was just wondering what you meant by, 'needs'....” There was a moment of silence, Yang's face slightly flushing pink and Blake's followed two seconds later; the latter was the color of a sun-dried tomato. “...cause there's a couple implications associated with the word.”

“What are you – I don't mean it like...like that!! I don't need to tell you that portion of my life!” The feline ears laid flat against her skull and her skin flushed hot with embarrassment when she finally caught on. “What I meant is in terms of making sure the White Fang operated smoothly, and that every task we took on were completed to perfection!”

“Well thank goodness we got that cleared up!” Yang replies a bit too quickly, rubbing the back of her neck and mentally berated herself for having such a gutter mind. Blake for her part frowned with disapproval, one ear twitching on top of her head. “Ehehehe....Ahem, sorry. Please continue your story.”

“We started off small by targeting local business in the area that have had personal vendettas against faunus, some holding onto grudges for more than a three years; we were children during those times, but that didn't mean we weren't exposed to all of the discrimination twenty-four seven. Fueled by contempt and anger for the lack of compassion and hatred by others, Adam made sure to drill us over various tactics to bypass the firewalls and other security measures every single day.

“And we succeeded thanks to all of the practice and sleepless nights. Time after time again we managed to bury business after business into the ground, and soon news of a cyber attack spread throughout the networks. We were meticulous and left no trails behind. Even when the security increased and became more complex to hack, Adam took unorthodox methods to find ways of creating loopholes and slipping through the defenses. Everyone on the team, including myself, put all their trust and faith in him. Soon we focused our attention towards attacking the more industrialized companies where the encrypted messages and protective soft-wares were even harder to crack.”

“That's quite ambitious...” Yang says before poking the fire with a stick to keep it burning. _I can't even imagine how hard it is to bypass all those security measures._ “I'm actually impressed.”

“Adam always was a hard-headed individual who would fight til he got his way. It didn't click in my mind – and I should have noticed the change in his behavior since I was dating him at the time – how severe the actions of the White Fang tied in with the war that seemingly appeared out of the blue.”

“Out of the blue?” Yang's eyebrow raised up a bit at the statement in confusion. “How was it out of the blue? Everyone knew that Salem was going to lash out against Ozpin, it was only a matter of when she actually did it.”

“Everyone on the surface knew....but it was unfortunate that we weren't aware. This structure,” Blake gestured to the walls around them with an arm. “is just the skeleton of what used to be Adam and I...well, the White Fang's head quarters. Adam wanted our operational base to be out of sight, wanted to make it hard for others to find us.”

“How could you guys not know? Didn't you say you guys were elite hackers? You had the skills to get at such information, so technically you would have been the first to know.” says Yang, but Blake shook her head.

“It's true that we did uncover secret information as well as personal information while we depleted companies of their revenues and resources, we even went so far as to sell what we salvaged on the black market for profit. However the information of a full blown biological/chemical warfare between Salem and Ozpin was not there. Adam hacked Salem's blog only to find out that it had been wiped clean, it was just an empty website.”

“You weren't able to recover any of the data?" asks Yang, blinking her eyes slowly to moisten them a bit. Keeping her eyes open in a dry environment ends up being strenuous. "Surely there was something you guys got...data doesn't disappear like that, do they?”

“We did all we could in recovering the leftover data, even with Adam's expertise. However, there was a mechanism that was set to mess up our drives if we were able to unlock the code. We had to trash out at least five good computers because we decrypted the code, and our algorithms went haywire. After all those attempts, Adam told us to forget about it and focus on other aspects.”

“....when did Adam first turn?” Blake took in a deep breath, most likely calming herself down as a traumatic moment of her life came rushing back as a memory.

“The day he turned was already a week in after the supposed virus spread from the heart of Beacon. None of us knew he had already been infected, there was no warning signs. Adam went outside while the rest of us stayed here to clear his head for some reason...when he came back, he wasn't the same.”

* * *

  _Inside White Fang Headquarters..._

It had been five years since Blake ran away from her parents and joined Adam. Not a day goes past where she thinks about what had happened, sometimes she would take a day's break to think about the interaction. A part of her felt it wasn't fair to her parents to receive the short-end of the stick with her emotional influx of an hormonal teenager. The other part felt as though the faunus did the right thing and broke away, not allowing her parents' influence wash over her.

“Hey Blake, can you help me decrypt this message that came in from Atlas?” A faunus teammate asks from where she was sitting in front of her computer on the other side of the room, her tail twitching back and forth with worry. “The encryption key I generated isn't matching for some reason, and it is quite frustrating.”

“Sure. I'll be right there with you.” The then nineteen year old removed her headphones and leaned back in her reclined chair, closing her eyes for a few minutes. She herself had been typing away on her own laptop hooked up to her dual-monitors. Apparently uploading a packaged software filled with malicious code to be shipped out required a lot of power, thus taking her two full days of not sleeping and running on sugar.

_It was probably for the best that I broke off from mom and dad...they just don't understand Adam like I do. I thought they'd be a little more accepting of us._ She kept telling herself, reopening her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Releasing a sigh she stood up and ambled her way towards her teammate who had waited patiently for her. _Turns out I was wrong, and they were just looking out for my own well-being._

“You see this here?” The other faunus pointed with a finger, showing where the issue was before the window went back to her desktop background. She quickly pulled the program back up. “Whenever I plugged in the key, the program freezes up before throwing me out. I've tried twice, and I have a speculation that if I tried anymore then my computer would be on complete lock down.”

“Hmmmm...” Blake leans over, her eyes scanning the code with precision. Her ears twitched every now and then as she proceeded to figure out the solution to the roadblock. With lightning fingers and an even faster mind, she decoded the message and took a screen shot of it as proof. “There. Seems like there's a huge shipment of Dust being sent to Vale from the Schnee Company. Time of transaction will happen in four hours from now...”

“How'd you... You solved the message in like 25minutes.” The other faunus was shocked, her mouth slightly agape. “And here I thought I would have to spend at most an hour trying to figure it out.”

“If it were any other case your key would work without fail. However, this particular message was hard because it was foraged from a computer in Atlas. The technology and other software are more advance than the other places. I remember Adam printing out a chart in a binder, do take the time to look over it. There will be more missions that will place us in position of attacking companies in Atlas. You need to prepare yourself.”

“I-I-I will! Thank you so much.”

“Then I believe I can leave it to you to make a fake response in return? We need to intercept that business interaction quickly, a few crates of Dust will be beneficial to us in the near future.”

“Leave it to me. I'll get the message out in no time!”

“Yo, Blake. When's Adam coming back?” Another team member questions as she treks back to her workspace, taking a swig of what appeared to be beer or some other alcoholic beverage. “It isn't like him to stay out for very long.”

“Who knows, it's not like I can read his mind twenty-four seven. If there's anything I actually know about him, it's that he gets incredibly aggressive whenever he is interrupted for no apparent reason. Honestly, his behavior depends on a day by day basis.” came the airy reply as the faunus fell back in her seat.

“Heh, must be hard being his girlfriend and all. Having him leave you in the dark sometimes, you know.”

“Not at all, I trust him with my life and he feels the same for me. That's why our relationship works, it's not like I need to keep a tab on him all the time.” She replies, leaning back in her seat and folds her arms behind her head. “Besides, I'll know when he gets back when he messages me.”

_Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

“Speak of the devil, and here he calls.” The other faunus in the room jokes around when Blake's device go off, the raven-haired beauty blushing at how it seems like her partner could read her mind; well it was either that, or Adam just had very good timing. “And the mistress is off to aid him in his time of need!”

“Yeah yeah, laugh while you all still can.” She snarks at them, pushing back and rising to her feet. Before leaving the room she says over her shoulder, “Get back to work. Once Adam is here, we can proceed to discuss our next big projects that are over the horizon. I believe we're in a great position for the rest of the year.”

The leader of the company was loitering out front, scuffing the heel of his boot into the ground for no apparent reason. His spiky red hair was a total mess instead of its usual clean appearance, and he kept looking over his shoulder as if something was following. His demeanor was befuddling, but his head lifts up when Blake steps outside to greet him. When she saw him, a smile appeared on her face.

“Welcome back. Sure took your sweet time.” She says playfully and padded up without hesitation, her arms held lightly behind her back. This became a daily routine between them: Adam goes out to clear his head whenever he felt overwhelmed with projects or hoisting meetings, and she would be there standing at the front to greet him when he returns. “Did you have a good time clearing out your head?”

“...Blake?” He grumbles out, almost as if questioning whether or not she was real.

“The one and only.” The raven-haired beauty replies, tilting her head to the side in wonder. “What's wrong?”

“May I...” Not bothering to finish whatever he wanted to say, he gathered her in his arms like a hug. Blake blinked in surprise – he was never the one to initiate affectionate behavior in their relationship – before wrapping her own arms around him. He nuzzles deep against her shoulder, not wanting to let go.

“You....are acting weird. And here I thought I was the affectionate one in our relationship.” She jokes and tries to pry him off when she felt the hug was going on for too long. He didn't budge, he was like a solid brick wall. “Umm, you can let go now...”

“Just a little longer. Let me hold you...just a bit longer.” He breathes as he grips onto her clothes like they were his lifeline. Then he says, out of context, “Did you know that you have a very sweet scent?”

“E-Ehh?!” Her face heats up at the words, and she tried to make eye contact with him but she couldn't move. “Why would you say something weird like that? What if someone was here and they heard you say such things?"

“A really...really sweet scent. I can't wrap my head around it.” She felt her shirt being moved a bit, feeling his breath hit the exposed skin of her shoulder. “It'd be a shame...if you didn't share it with me.”

“What are you...O-Ouch!” Blake yelped when his teeth sunk into her right shoulder, breaking past the skin. With adrenaline rushing through her veins, she summons as much strength as she could to shove him away. Stumbling back with one hand immediately pressed against the wound, she shouts, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Urrrrrgh....” Adam swayed from the push, drops of her blood dripping from his mouth. “Arrrrghhhhh...”

“A-Adam...what's wrong?” She asks him in confusion, unsure why inhuman noises were exiting his mouth. “Please tell me...you're scaring me right now...”

“Grrrrrrrrrr....gaaaaaaarghhhhh...”

“A-A-Adam...?”

_Blake. Run._

Her eyes widened as something sharp pierced through her body, the pain registering moments later; Adam had stabbed her with the very weapon he promised to protect her with. Her chest was heaving and she knew she was going into shock. Blake could only stare into her lover's eyes with disbelief, not seeing the kind and loving emotions that she saw when they were younger. There was nothing left within them, absolutely nothing. “A-Adam...”

“ADAM!! Get away from her!” A burly figure body rushed Adam, throwing the red-haired male away. The weapon was pulled out just as fast, and amount of pain jolted her back into reality. “You bastard!”

“Wha- What...?” She shook her head to clear away the spots, one hand already placed over the fresh wound. "What's happening...?"

“Blake! You okay?!” Her savior questions, making sure his body was positioned between Adam and her. “You were taking a long time and the others were getting suspicious, so I came out here to check up on you. Thank god I did, otherwise he'd skewer you to death!”

“Grrrrrrrrrrr!” Adam stood back up, his hand curling tightly against the hilt of his weapon. The steel was tinted a light red due to the blood it obtained. "Rrrrrrrrghhhhh."

“Wa-Wait, you can't take him on...” Blake says frantically, fearfully looking between Adam and the younger male. She personally knew Adam was a fighter as a way of relieving stress, no one that went against him ever won. “Adam will kill you!”

“Blake, he isn't normal and even I can see that.” The male growls, his body tense in apprehension. “For the sake of the others who are making the White Fang great, I'll gladly put my life on the line. Now get going!! GO!!” Spurred into action and not sparing any glances back, Blake scrambles to run inside. With blood trickling down from both her stomach and shoulder, black spots were soon to come into her vision; she was also feeling nauseous and light-headed.

“EVERYONE!! GET OUT!” She yowls as loudly as she possibly could, getting the attention of those taking occupancy in the first room she reached. However, her voice reached the ears of the other faunus who were working in other rooms thanks to their sensitive ears. Soon heads were popping out to see what all the commotion was all about. “GET OUT NOW!”

“What do you me– Blake! You're bleeding!”

“The hell is going on?!”

“Don't question it! Just do as I say and get out of here!” The raven-haired faunus panted, pressing a hand against her wound to stop the bleeding. “Quickly! Before he–”

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!” All the hairs rose up along their necks, followed by the squelch of footsteps approaching them. Looking over her shoulder, Blake could see the faint outline of Adam. In one hand was the blood-stained weapon, in the other was the head of the male faunus who saved her; the alpha male had cleaved his prize clean off the shoulders. Adam's face was in the second stage of peeling, his flesh deteriorating right before their eyes.

Everything seemingly passes before Blake's eyes in a colorful blur. It felt so surreal, like a nightmare dressed as a daydream. Her ears were ringing with screams of the other scared faunus, the sound of the bloody blade swinging, as well as computer monitors being knocked over due to frantic motions. Maneuvering around the chaos and carnage of the situation, the raven-haired beauty moved further deep into the infrastructure. She wanted to put as much distance as she possibly could between her and the rampaging Adam.

Scrambling into an unoccupied room she hunkered down behind a desk, and took shelter in the dark. Deeming herself safe for now, she took the time to address her wound with using only the light from her device as a reliable source. Streaks of blood were already drying on her stomach, but she could still feel the warm liquid oozing from the torn flesh. Looking around she realized that she had taking refuge within one of the storage rooms. There wasn't anything she could use to help her.

_Of course the first aid is in the bathroom....fuck!!_ Blake inwardly growled, keeping her hand over the wound and applied pressure to prevent further blood loss. She was tried and slowly losing conscious. Her throat was a desert, her eyes just as dry. She wished everything was just a dream, that she was just sleeping at her desk after hard-coding a program to bankrupt a company. But no matter how many times she shut her eyes tightly and reopening them, reality continued to set in.

She quickly clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming out in frustration, both ears lying flat as the last screams of others pierced the air. Then it was eerily silent, except for the drumming of her heart in her ears. Her heartbeat was so loud, she nearly missed the sound of the footsteps passing her hiding spot. Although most of the stomps were coated with copious amounts of blood, to her sensitive ears they were as crisp as a dry leaf in the fall. There was one set of footsteps that almost stepped into the room where she was hiding, but then it backs out and left. Once she deemed herself safe and no longer heard anymore footsteps, she let out a sigh. Then she felt mad and undoubtedly upset.

“AAAAAAARGH!!!!!” The faunus angrily screamed in frustration, tilting her head back till she could feel the desk behind her. Hot tears spilled down her face, and she let them fall. “What the HELL is HAPPENING?! Adam fucking BIT me! And then he STABBED me!! Who does that?!”

Feeling a bit better with the small rant, she waited a bit longer before moving; her main priority is to figure out if she could salvage as much as she could from the computer rooms. Afterward she would figure out how to fix her wound. Hugging the wall, she was fully alert before stepping out into the hallway. Everywhere she turned there's blood, on the walls and all over the ground. The faunus lifted her unoccupied hand to cover her nose, trying to block out as much of the stench as she possibly could.

“Oh thank the gods, it isn't broken.” She whispered when she spies her laptop still sitting on the desk untouched, other than that the room was messed up. Grabbing two USB wires and plugging her laptop into monitors that haven't been destroyed, she began the daunting task of transferring files and other important notes. There was no way in hell she was going to let all of the hard work the White Fang has done go to waste. While the process takes approximately thirteen hours to complete, Blake went about researching what exactly was happening on the surface world. She found another monitor with a couple of cracks through the screen functioning well, so she booted up a window and began to type.

“Ughhhh, come on come on. There's gotta be something that'll at least give me some kind of hope.” Her eyes roamed over various websites faster than her fingers could pound against the keyboard. Her stomach wound was irritating her to the point where any small movement sent waves of pain, but she didn't want to risk stepping out and tend to it. “What the hell is happening on the world above...?”

Ping!

Blake's eyes widened when an alert popped up with big, bold headings. A couple more clicks and the faunus had congregated as much as she could on the subject of 'infected beings'. Pictures of Salem as the main culprit were even clipped to some articles, her seemingly dead eyes staring straight at her through the screen. The faunus sat there on her heels, reading through the contents, hungry for more information about the state of the world. Her heart was racing faster than it had ever raced before.

_We're all getting infected....and there is no mention of a known cure._

* * *

_Back in the present...._

“Browsing around some more, I came upon information about the virus released by Salem. I did my best to stich up my wound, I tell ya it's hard to do it by myself; in the end I got a scar as a reminder. Ever since the incident I made it a point not to run into Adam or the rest of my infected team. I knew they were hiding out in the area close by, there's no way they'd just leave. That's why I avoid going out and had to rely on my own instincts to survive. Now all that's keeping me alive and sane seems to be sheer will-power....however, a person's mental state is not made out of steel.”

“....I know.” Yang says quietly after listening to Blake's story, watching the faunus play with her hair that had tumbled in front of her right shoulder. Any remnants of food were now left untouched, neither one of them had the appetite to continue. “I too, fell into the realm of despair because I lost three people I cared about the most.”

“Three?” Blake's ear flicked at the information.

“And that number will increase if I sit on my ass waiting for my end. Just thinking about losing anymore people is all the more reason why I must go to Beacon. The only way we can bring order back is fixing the CTT Tower.” Yang then stands up with a determined expression, keeping eye contact with the faunus that sat before her. “Come with me, Blake. You don't have to be alone anymore. We'll go there together.”

“Have you lost your damn mind? That place is heavily populated with the infected, not to mention the air is incredibly toxic.” Blake narrows her eyes in warning, her mouth turning into a small frown. “You're asking for a quick death by going there.”

“Still thinking negatively about this shit...there's just no way of getting through that stubborn skull of yours.” Yang frowns as well, crossing her arms over her chest that was still covered by the towel. “I refuse to think of you as a lost cause, however if you're gonna continue this act then I have no choice but to think of you as such.”

“Hmph. I could say the same to you.” Blake sniffed, smirking when she noticed a small pout about to form on the blonde's face.

“C'mon now, I'm not that negative. Well, I mean I'm less negative than you are.” Yang fumbles a bit over her comebacks, watching as Blake merely rolls her eyes. “Perhaps if you came along with me we could work on being positive together.”

“Why are you invested in me?” The faunus leans against one arm in wonder, an eyebrow raised for added effect. “If I were to accompany you, in what would be a journey with no end point, I wouldn't be of use to you in the long run.”

“....are you serious? I would have died out there without you being there. You are also good with a weapon, not many people I've come across up till now are even on par with your level.” The mechanic argued with her.

“Had I known you were asking so much out of me I shouldn't have stuck my neck out for you.”

“But you did anyway, you could've walked away that day and let me die by his hand. Deep down you don't want to be alone anymore, you have already suffered through that; hell, you lost your entire team. I may not have lost a similar amount, but I understand that emotion.”

“And yet you're still willing to throw yourself away for the sake of the few that are still clinging to life? Heh, you got more balls than I give you credit for....but, that doesn't change the fact that you're asking for trouble.”

“What can I say? Life would be boring without that thrill of adventure. That sense of not knowing what tomorrow would bring.”

“...you really have lost your mind.” Blake bared her teeth in laughter. “No amount of adventure would make me risk my life over.”

“At least I haven't lost my faith in the human race. I told you already that as long as I'm able to do something, even if it's just a tiny bit...I'll do it without complaint.” Yang retorts with certainty. “Think about the future instead of yourself, there are other people who live on this world too. You may have lived your life as a hacker, but you're still a living being.”

“...you're batshit insane, you know that.” Blake whispers after a solid five minutes, which was answered with a smirk from the blonde. “Don't take others with you to the grave if you can help it.”

“Sorry, but I don't want you to continue living your life by immersing yourself within a game simulation. Besides, between you and I I believe we'll survive together.”

“What's your plan for tomorrow?” The faunus watched as Yang reached over for her bag and pulled out the map she had been doodling notes on.

“Since you helped me get my weapon back, is there a shortcut to get my bike? I left it over in this area....” The blonde unfurled the parchment paper away from the fire, pointing to a place with an index finger. “I figured we would cover more distance when we're on wheels.”

“Oh, I remember that route. It's been so long since I opened that thing...”

“Opened what thing?”

“When Adam and I constructed the White Fang, we agreed that there should be an alternative escape route that only the higher ups knew about; you know, should something bad arise and we had to escape quickly. It worked well, but then we had it sealed shut at nights to prevent the wild animals from wondering in because they tend to do those sort of things. After the debacle with him and the whole team becoming in disarray, I've had that hole kept shut and never opened."

"That makes sense, you wouldn't want to get jumped in your sleep and what not."

“Now then, I believe our clothes are ready for drying. It's been a long night, and I hadn't planned on spending it telling my past.” says Blake as she got to her feet, adjusting the towel with a hand so it didn't fall off. “Would you mind doing that? I need...I need to use the restroom."

“Sure, I don't mind. This wet towel is getting pretty uncomfortable anyway.” Yang watched her a bit before asking, “Are you okay? You don't look so well...” All she got in response was a small smirk and the raven-haired beauty disappeared. The mechanic sighs before packing up the leftovers to save for later.

* * *

_In the restroom..._

“Bllllarughhhhh!!!” Blake let out a moan as she leaned over the toilet bowl, retching any remnants of the cooked meat left within her stomach. She did a very good job holding herself back in Yang's presence, so the moment she left the room she bolted straight to the restroom without a second thought. No longer feeling the urge to puke, she flushed the contents away and washed her hands.

“God...such foul tasting...bleh.” The faunus shuddered before taking a deep breath. Her nerves were getting jittery, and no matter how many times she rinses out her tongue the after taste was worse. Beads of sweat condensed along her brow before trickling down her face, causing her to wipe them away with the back of a hand.

“Nnggh...” She leaned against the counter, holding her head as a foreign instinct washed over her. It felt as though she was coming down with a stomach flu, but she knew better. Of all the symptoms she researched, one of the early signs of deterioration was reacting to food; when a person or animal is infected, they will become more inclined towards devouring raw meat rather than cooked. The scent of uninfected specimens become tantalizing to the infected, almost like how bees are attracted to flowers.

Shucking the towel haphazardly off her body, and moving her hair to the side, she looked at an area on her right shoulder where Adam sunk his teeth in. The once pale luminous skin had turned a blistering red, irritating enough to make her claw her fingers over the surface. She had kept the wound clean since she received it, but there was nothing she could do internally. It was only a matter of time before she herself became fully infected.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

“Hey, Blake? You doing okay in there? I threw the clothes into the dryer, so they'll be done by morning.” Yang's voice filtered in through the other side, seemingly concerned. The faunus jumped at the sound, unaware of just how long she had been slouching over the sink, a dazed expression on her face. “You've been in there for awhile now....”

“I-I'm fine...” With eyes dilated much like a cat's in heat, Blake swiveled her head towards the sweet scent and voice with interest. The scent of fresh human flesh was too hard to ignore, and she began to salivate. “I'll be right out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Careful Yang....you might get bitten by an infected Blake.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake make their move to leave the White Fang facility and head towards Beacon. However, a certain red-haired individual still stands in their way.

Chapter 11: Time to say Goodbye

_Outside the door...._

Yang tilts her head to the side as the door opens up, eyes watching the faunus as the raven-haired beauty stood before her looking like a mess. The mechanic knew she shouldn't be too invested in other people's private time, but when Blake didn't come out by the time she finished the laundry, she felt concern growing within her chest.

“You all right? You've been in there for awhile...” The blonde asks softly, not entirely sure how Blake would react if she didn't proceed with caution. Individuals do startle and react violently to large noises if they weren't warned beforehand. “Feeling sick? I made sure to cook the food thoroughly so it wasn't raw...”

“...Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not getting sick.” Blake utters in response, avoiding eye contact as much as she could. Then she decided to summon her courage and look at the blonde, however she wasn't prepared to see the mechanic standing fully naked without embarrassment. Deep down she actually enjoyed seeing the abs. Keeping her voice as level as she could she said, “You do know you're in the nude, right?”

“Yeah I kinda threw the towel I had on into the dryer. Then I realized that there wasn't anything else, but it was already too late to do anything about it. And I was worried about you so...” Yang subconsciously ran her fingers through her hair before asking, “It doesn't...bother you that much does it?”

“...well, it's not like I'm not looking at anything new....” Blake rubbed her temple with a hand when she felt a headache coming forth. _We literally took a shower together after all...even if she was clad in clothing I would still be able to map out the detail_ “So no...it doesn't bother me as much.”

“...I know we have had some time together – hell you even saved my life and all – but I understand if you don't seem to trust me that fast... I mean, it's not like we're complete strangers.”

“It's not that, it's just...” Blake released a sigh, thinking about how to put her thoughts into words. “You ever have things you just can't tell others even if you wanted to...in order to protect them? I feel like this is the position I'm in at the moment. I want to tell you, but I'm also afraid because I can't foresee the outcome of my choices.”

“No one is able to predict the future, that's what makes life so interesting; the plethora of choices each with their own unique outcomes, doesn't that sound exciting? If someone were to know exactly what the outcome would be, well...where's the fun? I personally love the sense of adventure, that's why I don't want to know. I want my reactions to be genuine.” Yang offered, the corners of her mouth curling up into a sweet smile. “Focus on what you can do in the present rather than trying to alter the future.”

“Sounds like something parents would say to their kids when they make bad choices.” Blake huffs, rolling her eyes for emphasize. Just as her nostrils flared, she accidentally took in a huge whiff of Yang's scent, and the urge to consume human flesh increased. Her heart began to pound inside her chest, beating so hard she could hear it in her ears.

“Umm, you got a little....er, actually you got a lot...of saliva coming out of your mouth.” Yang stated, her eyes honing in on the clear liquid seeping out from between the lips. Golden eyes widened in horror, and Blake hastily wiped with the back of a hand. The mechanic observed how the feline ears were twitching, the brows furrowed and how the faunus seemed to be distraught. “Hey. Are you sure you're–”

“I told you I'm fucking fine! Why can't you just let it go?!” The raven-haired beauty snapped angrily, lifting her eyes to glare at Yang like a cornered animal. Mixed colored eyes clashed with the pair of heated golden orbs before Yang decided to back off. Blake took a couple of deep breaths to calm down, one arm wrapped tightly around the other in a self-hug. “...I believe it's best if you go....”

“Blake...”

“Please.” Not wanting to prolong or make the situation worse, Yang turned on her heels to leave. Before exiting, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Blake didn't even raise her head to make contact, focusing on a particular spot in the wall.

“...if there's anything you need help with...or if you want to get something off your chest... know that I'm here. I'll always be available.” with that, she left. Suddenly feeling emotionally drained, Blake dragged herself to her designated room like she just earned herself a time-out. She collapsed on the not-so-comfortable mattress, letting out a moan of anguish from between her hands.

_Why did I have to snap at her like that...? I know she was getting on my nerves by fretting over my well-being...but she was genuinely looking out for me. She was actually concerned. Adam only did that kind of behavior occasionally, and now he isn't here...he's turned into one of them. Gaaaaaaah, what the hell is wrong with me?!_ Growling angrily, Blake raked her fingers through her hair with frustration.

Flipping over on her back she stared up at the ceiling, breaking out in a cold sweat. Her sensitive hearing honed in on the beats of her heart, and she spent the silence listening in on it. Thoughts of what would happen to her heart when she turns plagues her mind, and she hated it. She had seen first hand what those creatures are capable of, and interacting with them proved that a creature's – human or Grimm for that matter – humanity is completely non-existence. Even if there was a heart inside a corrupt body, it doesn't beat for the sake of keeping its host alive. For Blake, staying sane and staying as human as possible was all she had.

_Uugh...was this room always this cold? ...it could possibly be a side-effect. But now I could use some warmth.......I guess I have no choice._ Grumbling to herself, she grabbed her pillow and softly made her way back into the other room that was now dimly lit by a small fire. Yang was laying on the ground with her back turned, eyes closed and sleeping away; she had taken the bath towels from the dryer and folded one into a makeshift pillow, the other one was her makeshift blanket.

“Yang...?” The faunus says softly, watching the blonde stir a bit in her sleep at the sound of her voice. She gripped her pillow a little tightly against her chest and called again. “Yang? Wake up.”

“Mmmm...wha- Blake?” Yang opened an eye groggily to stare into the darkness, grimacing when she couldn't see that well even with the lighting. “What's the matter?”

“I couldn't sleep...er, rather... I can't sleep alone...anymore.” The faunus says, thankful that her blush was hidden. “May...May I sleep with you?” There was a slight head nod and she watched as one arm lifted up into the air invitingly. Making her way over she placed her pillow down before her body followed suit.

Now that she was closer her feline ears were incredibly sensitive, twitching ever so often at the sound of Yang's beating heart. The sweet aroma had increased as well, almost taunting the faunus as she struggled to quell the urge to bite. Just as she thought she was okay, an arm draped itself lazily over her and she tensed up on the contact.

“...wh-what do you think you're doing?” She asked after five minutes of silence.

“You seemed like you were cold, you know shivering body and all. Thought I could at least....at least share some of my warmth with you...” Yang mumbled and made to remove her hand. “Sorry, should've asked first...”

“It's okay....” Blake hastily grabbed the retreating appendage, her heart fluttering within her chest as she placed it back. She didn't even bother to let go, holding onto it as if it were a life line. “I...I like it like this. It gives me a sense...of feeling human at least.”

“Mmmmmm.” came a tired hum from behind her.

“...Yang? I'm sorry for my behavior earlier.” The faunus said, hoping that the mechanic hadn't fallen asleep to hear her apology. She felt bad keeping her human companion from sleeping, but she had to get it off her chest. Her hand gently squeezed Yang's, and she was ecstatic when she felt a squeeze back. “Please don't leave me. I...I don't want to be alone anymore.”

“....I won't leave you...” Yang replies without thought. Perhaps it was just a reflex or a go-to response, Blake couldn't tell because the voice was still laced with sleepiness.

**I'd never leave you, my darling.**

Blake took a sharp intake of breath, remembering words from a certain red-haired individual. She didn't want to make any assumptions, but a part of her had misgivings about verbal promises. While she was busy trying to round up her thoughts, Yang's own breathing evened out signalling that she was nearly on the verge of slipping into the dream realm.

“Yang? I have a hypothetical question I would like to run by you.” Blake gently squeezed her hand, hearing movement as the blonde maneuvered into a comfortable position. “Would you answer me honestly.”

“Yeah? What is it?” The blonde mumbles.

“What if I told you...that I was infected?” Her heart drummed quickly almost as if it were lodged in her throat. She didn't dare turn over to look Yang in the face, afraid of what she'd see. “W-What if I told you...that I did not have much longer till my human conscious deteriorates? What if...what if I turned into one of those...monsters?”

“...then I'll do whatever it takes to make every day your greatest.” The blonde's answer surprised her, but she didn't dare cut in. Instead she turned over so she could look at the blonde's face. “If you need something, I'll get it for you. If you stumble I'll catch you. If you need someone to listen...well I already told you that I'll lend you my ears. What I'm saying is...you are not alone. You can use my life however you like.”

“Were you always this fearless or are you just dumb?” The faunus questioned but that didn't prevent a more evident blush from appearing.

“Blake, I don't want to tell you how to live your life. But I want you to live one you can be proud of...so that when it is time for you to depart you won't have any lingering regrets.” Yang smiled gently before letting out a huge yawn. “C'mon...some sleep should ease your worries away. Whatever it is that's bothering you, can wait till morning...you have nothing...nothing...” Whatever the blonde was about to say trailed off as sleep overcame her.

_Heh, you were going to say that I have nothing to worry about. Well, I hope you're right.....I truly do._ Blake thought to herself, and closed her eyes. The scent still lingered, but the urge to bite have been subdued just by the faunus' sheer will. _It's only a matter of time...until I lose all control._

* * *

_The next morning....._

The feeling of warmth tickled her ears, making them involuntarily twitch. Blake believed she was still in a dream but when she felt the same warmth again, she had no choice but to open her eyes. Who knew Yang was a huge advocate of cuddling? Or rather...

“While I truly appreciate your affection by clinging to me, I believe it's time for us to go.” Yang states, making the faunus groan with disapproval. She lets out a throaty laugh when the raven-haired beauty snuggled closer, unyielding and not willing to untangle herself from the source of warmth. “I know it's difficult to get up, but since you're awake we should make use of the light given. Besides,” She leans closer to whisper into one of the fuzzy ears, “I'll be your body pillow whenever you like.”

“W-W-Who said I needed a body pillow?!” Jolting awake, Blake let go with a flustered expression and scrambled away. Her ears were laying flat against her skull as she regarded Yang carefully. “I-Idiot....”

“Hehehehe. Alright, alright I'll stop teasing you.” Yang says, removing the make-shift blanket and standing up to stretch. Once she felt comfortable she states, “I'll go ahead and get dressed. You're more than welcome to join me if you wish.”

“I'll get dressed after you, just need a few minutes to calm down.”

“Okay then.” with that, the mechanic left to gather her clothes. Blake released a sigh before slapping both her cheeks a couple of times. She had to remind herself that the blonde would be in her company – or rather it's the other way around, the faunus would be aiding the mechanic on her journey – so there would probably be more opportunities of sleeping together.

_O-O-Only for warmth if it's cold!! No more, no less!!_   Blake spluttered at her straying thoughts, feeling the skin of her face warm up underneath her fingertips. Standing up she did her own version of stretching, resembling that to a cat. Making her way to the restroom she found her clean clothes neatly folded and placed on the counter, a courtesy of the blonde mechanic. But that wasn't the only nice thing she found. When she came back Yang had breakfast ready, a mixture of dried fruits and nuts with accompanied bottles of water that the faunus appreciated.

The blonde in question was busy rearranging the contents in her bag, a very serious expression on her face; if Blake looked closer she swore she saw the blonde's tongue sticking out in concentration; the faunus thought it was cute and couldn't help staring, some of the times accidentally catching eye contact with Yang.

“Let me take you down the passage way.” The raven-haired beauty spoke up to get the blonde's attention after eating her share of the food, walking towards one of the openings on the far side of the hallway. “I won't exaggerate, but it's pretty long and dark so watch your step.”

“Sounds like every cliché tunnel I've ever read or watched on shows.” Yang jokes after zipping up her bag, following the faunus but not missing the evident eye roll from her companion. She clipped on a fresh canister of purified air to her belt buckle as a precaution. “I mean, you can't blame me when I say that.”

“Mmmmhmmm.” came the responding hum. Five minutes after she stepped into the abyssal darkness, Yang felt claustrophobic. Her eyes didn't adjust well to the impending darkness, so she held out a hand to feel for the walls; when she felt none her feet immediately rooted her in place. She didn't want to move forward.

“Uhmm...uhh...Blake?”

“Yes, Yang?” The voice came a few feet ahead of her. “What's wrong?”

“I...I can't see that well. Actually I can't see shit because it's extremely dark in here like you warned me about. So, uh...would you lead me..?”

“I am leading you.”

“I mean by the hand.” Yang couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at her request. Here she was, a grown woman, asking another for her hand like a lost child. “...would you lead me by the hand?”

“......I guess it can't be helped. I forgot that my eyes were different from yours.” Now the voice sounded closer, which made her feel a lot better. She heard the clicks of feet approaching her before it fell silent again. “Here, grab my hand.”

_Where is her hand...? Still can't see a damn thing..._ Yang took a gamble and reached out with a hand, but of course she missed. She heard a mild huff before feeling something warm grab her hand. Smiling to herself the blonde began to move again at a steady pace. Blake also seemed to love the gentle gesture of hand holding, subconsciously squeezing Yang's hand every now and then to make sure she was okay. They walked in comfortable silence, not bothering to say any words least they wanted to disrupt whatever was developing between them.

“We're getting close towards the end.” Blake then spoke up as she continue leading Yang down the dark passageway, her ears up and alert. The blonde had put her mask on while the faunus relied on a scarf to block out impurities. Coming up to what seemed to be a dead-end, the faunus let go of Yang's hand before walking over to the side and held her right hand up. Yang – even though she couldn't see – relied on her ears to hear the whirling of a machine being activated.

There was a deep rumble and the opening widened, sending debris and smoke into the air; it had been a long time since it had been opened after all. Once it had died down the two walked out with caution. Yang couldn't believe just how far the tunnel extended, looking at the mountainous terrain she had to traverse across. Turning around she could see the horizon flattening out that indicated the front of the White Fang facility.

“I believe that that is what you wanted to see.” The faunus' voice brought her back and she saw her vehicle exactly where she had left it.

“Oh thank goodness nothing bad happened! I was really worried!” Yang literally skipped to Bumblebee, giving it a once over with love evident in her eyes. Then she frowned as she ran her fingers over something the faunus couldn't see. “There's scratch marks over here...ruins the paint job and the design.” _Just wait till I get my hands on the fucker who did this!! I won't show any mercy!!_

“Is everything okay?” The raven-haired beauty questioned.

“Nothing...just a very minuscule mishap. But it shouldn't detour us from leaving, if the engine was damaged then we'd be in huge trouble.” Yang responded back, turning to look over her shoulder with a definite smile. On the inside she was screaming with anger and pummeling an imaginary opponent. “I'm ready to go when you are. Just let me know.” Nodding her head in agreement, Blake scurried back inside to gather whatever possession she had.

Memories flashed through her mind as she scoured through the entire facility, going into rooms that were once off limits to even herself, grabbing anything and everything that weren't damaged goods. She paused when she came across something lying on a dust-covered desk, lifting the object up for a closer look. It was an old photo, an old photo that depicted every member of the Fang the moment the facility was founded. Blake's heart clenched with emotion when she looked at everyone's smiling faces.

“I'm sorry.” Putting the photo down, she turned her back and left. With a semi-heavy bag over her shoulders, Blake made her way back to Yang. Her steps felt lighter and suddenly she felt anxious, unable to see what the next days would bring. She was about to take her first steps forward, straight into the unknown with someone she met by chance. Thinking about it, if she hadn't met Yang, Blake was absolutely sure she would have wasted her life away. When she reemerged from the hole she spotted the blonde looking over what seemed to be notes.

_Seeing her exerting so much confidence in trying to change the world for the better is something I hope to live long to see. A future where we would be rid of the misfortune._ The faunus thought to herself, her fingers digging into her skin. All morning she hadn't felt the urge – perhaps it was because she wasn't actively paying attention to it – so she could comfortably be around Yang. That surprised her, normally the faunus of White Fang wanted nothing to do with humans; Adam has drilled that concept into her mind since the start. Yet here she was, getting along with a human just fine.

“I take it you're ready to go?” The blonde in question asks from where she was leaning against Bumblebee, eyes scanning the map that had some kind of notes doodled on it. She didn't need to raise her head to know that Blake was there; she had taken precaution to listen for the faunus' footsteps during her recovery till she was confident to at least know when the raven-haired beauty was in the area.

“Yeah. It just feels so...surreal that I'll be leaving a place I've called home.” The faunus admits, releasing a long sigh as she made her way over. Somehow it felt as though a load had been removed from her shoulders. “I must be dreaming or something because this just doesn't feel real.”

“Well don't dream too hard.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“You'll lose sight of reality, the here and now. The present.” Yang answered, giving her bike one last check. Once she was done with everything she nodded her head with satisfaction. Tucking the parchment of papers in a safe place, she added, “Your sense of what's real and what's not becomes warped....But it's nice to have dreams, so don't let go of yours.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Just hop on.” Yang pats the empty space behind her invitingly, her mouth curled up into a slight smirk. “You know how to ride right?”

“Not at all. This is my first time actually.” That got one blonde eyebrow raised in questioning as well as in disbelief. “What? You seriously thought I would have the time to go places? I'm a hacker, someone who sits in front of the computer day in and day out.”

“That's not good for your health you know...Anyway, just sit and wrap your arms around me. I promise I'm a great driver.” Yang watches as Blake did as instructed, her arms tentatively wrapping around her stomach. “Come on now, you're gonna have to hold on tighter than that. Seriously, I can take it. Squeeze the living hell out of me.”

“If you say so....” Blake spoke and did as told, squeezing like her life depended on it. Yang grunted, slightly surprised at the strength she didn't know the other woman possessed. Revving the engine twice the two of them took off down the dust covered ground. The blonde relied on the faunus to guide her in the general direction because she obviously didn't know the landscape that well. Their ride was smooth sailing until they approached the outer edges of the property. Yang came a halt abruptly and turned off the engine, a very concerned expression on her face.

“Why did you stop? And why did you turn the engine off?” The faunus asks, peering over the blonde's shoulder in wonder. Because the wind hadn't been too kind, she had them folded down so she couldn't hear anything. “You don't need to use the bathroom do you?”

“That's not it.....but it seems to me like you've got some unfinished business to take care of. Or rather we got some unfinished business to take care of.” Yang notes as she jerks her chin at the approaching group of the undead. Her eyes were immediately drawn towards the red-haired male at the front of the pack, the weapon still covered in dried blood gripped tightly in hand. “Had I known we'd have a farewell party I should have dressed better.”

“Hmmm. I'm inclined to agree with that first statement. Your second one though I will have to disagree.” Blake utters, already unsheathing her weapon from its sheath and held it tightly with her right hand. Hopping off the bike, she stood staring at her opponents with an unreadable expression. “You'll just get dirt and blood on your clothes, so there's no need for lavish attires in the midst of battle.”

“Figured as much.” The blonde chuckles, making sure Bumblebee would be safe from the impending fight. With her own weapon in hand she struts back to stand beside the faunus, a semi-smirk on her face. “Strange how they decided to ambush us in the morning, considering those infected tend to be nocturnal. Any ideas why the change in behavior?”

“I too am unsure of why that is. But what I do know is that they will not let us leave here in peace.” Blake sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “It seems they are unwilling...no, rather they cannot leave this place. Because they have been infected here, and when something as important as that happens....a person will never forget that feeling of being powerless.”

“Well then, what would you like me to do?” asked Yang, getting a confused look on the faunus' face. “The things that are standing before us are your old friends. Would it be okay if I cut them down or would you rather do it yourself?”

_Even at this time she still considers how I feel...because the enemies who stood before her were my comrades._ Blake couldn't help but felt touched by the gesture.

“I mean, I rather you not fight on your own... but if that is what you wish, then I'll gladly–”

“Do it.”

“Hmm?” Yang looked at Blake who had turned her back, refusing to show her face. “What was that?”

“Do it. Cut them down. They're no longer with us anyway, so make it quick. But leave Adam to me.”

“...are you sure? I won't lie he's pretty strong.”

“I know he is. My body has never forgotten the first strike.” Her other hand subconsciously lifted up to touch the scar along her stomach, the fingers trembling slightly. “But...this is something I have to do. As his ex-partner...”

“You aren't alone.” Blake looks down when she felt warmth, Yang's right hand holding her left. Looking up she could see the blonde smiling, and in that moment the faunus swore that it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever laid eyes on. She burned it into her memory. “Just wanted you to know that. Breathe and you'll be alright.”

“Yang...”

“See ya in a few minutes, okay? Let's get out of this alive...together.” Letting go of her hand, the blonde left her side. The faunus stood there stunned, her arm outstretched as if to catch the fleeting warmth. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she felt her nerves calmed down. She felt like she could overcome everything. Reopening her eyes, she too took off running. She could see glimpses of Yang fighting out the corner of her vision, slicing through the undead. But the real prize had yet to move. Adam had his eyes set on Yang for awhile, but that instantly changed when he spotted Blake running towards him.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...” The inhuman growl erupted through his throat when their weapons collided, his red blood-shot eyes gazing back at her. The two of them struggled to over power one another. Separating, the two of them traded blows over and over and over again, sparks flying from the interaction of steel on steel. Not all strikes were relied heavily on weapons, both combatants also threw punches and kicks whenever they could.

“Haa...haa...haaa....” Blake frowned after avoiding a kick to the head, putting some distance between her and him. Fighting against her prior partner was starting to take a toll on her and she knew it.

“Hrrrrrrghhhhh...” Adam growls almost as if he too was frustrated, but Blake knew that his humanity had already been removed. Him having human emotions shouldn't be prominent, thus the growling was just an undead noise. “Grrrrrrrr...”

“Adam, I ran from you once. When you attacked me the day you turned, I was scared...terrified even, and I was forced into hiding.” She spoke to him, keeping eye contact with him and him alone. Around them the other corpses were howling and gnashing their teeth as Yang continually mowed through, her eyes gleaming with excitement and blood already coating her face. For the two contenders with their swords crossed, it was as if the world fell into silence. It was only them. “But I can't stay here any longer....and I can't run from you any longer. This is the end.”

**Author's Note:**

> First time using this platform, I am way more accustomed to Fanfiction.net. This story is my test-run guinea pig, a little experimentation and perhaps a side project.


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